EM3: Sealed in Ink
by AquaMermaid6
Summary: After the defeat of the Mad Doctor, a new threat emerges, leading Oswald and Mickey on another journey across Wasteland. Together, they learn to support each other as they work to solve unresolved conflicts. (Os & Mick bro bonding.) (Story Collab between me and 09alih on DeviantART.) [Cover image is made by DrawingDestiny on Tumblr. Huge thanks to them for letting me use it!]
1. Prologue

(by AquaMemaid6 and 09alih)

* * *

From his vantage point on the Observatory balcony, Mickey watched the Beetleworx scurry about Mean Street, assisting with repairs. They were certainly making everyone's jobs a lot easier, but their presence still made some toons wary. Mickey smiled as he thought of the local toons. After working with them these past few days, he'd gotten to know them pretty well. He was even starting to remember a few of them from the old days in the Cartoon World—of course, Clarabelle's incessant chatter about it was more to thank for that than anything else.

The mouse's smile slowly faded as he looked up toward the sky. His mind drifted, as it did so often lately, his thoughts returning to home... and to Minnie. He wondered if she was thinking about him too, and if she and the others missed him as much as he missed them. It was the worst thing, not knowing if he'd ever see them again. The device that Gus constructed to bring him here had been destroyed in the process, and the gremlin was having a lot of trouble finding the right parts to repair it. Mickey sighed, and it began again: that strange, cold feeling in his chest. It had been happening a lot lately.

"Mickey! You up there?" Mickey quickly wiped his eyes and turned to see a familiar pair of long ears poking through the door. "Jamface said you were out here," Oswald said as he walked out on the balcony.

Mickey smirked and shrugged. "Just needed a break," he said, then cracked his back. "Think I've done more heavy lifting these past few days than I have in a month." He expected a smart remark in return, but to his surprise, it never came.

Oswald walked over and leaned against the railing. "You've been takin' breaks up here a lot."

Mickey swallowed nervously, hoping that he wasn't about to be found out. After everything Oswald had been through, bothering him with something so trivial as homesickness felt wrong. "It's a nice view," he said.

Oswald raised an eyebrow. "Of Mean Street or the sky?"

Mickey felt his throat tighten, but he quickly cleared it and shrugged. "They're both pretty good," he said. Oswald gave him a look, but Mickey quickly spoke up. "I just wonder how everyone's doin' back home sometimes."

"Yeah..." Oswald said quietly, then looked up at the sky. His voice was distant when he next spoke. "I've always wanted to see the Cartoon World again. Guess a lot's changed by now, huh?"

Mickey's throat tightened again, but he once again gulped it down and nodded. "Not everything has, though. Just bein' here... it's so much like being home."

Oswald looked at him, ears pricked with interest. "Really?" he asked. Mickey nodded, and Oswald looked back at the sky. "What's it like?" he asked. "The real one?"

Mickey felt a lump rising in his throat, but he gulped it back and forced his voice to remain steady as he began talking about home. Now wasn't the time to risk souring things between him and Oswald, and besides, it was the least he could do after everything that had happened. After several moments, he suddenly noticed Oswald staring at him.

"Mickey?" he asked slowly.

The mouse was confused at first, but then he realized that his eyes were stinging. He quickly turned and rubbed them. "Sorry, I musta got somethin' in my eye." He took a deep breath and forced a smile. "We'll hafta talk more later... I think Markus needed some help with a game in the Penny Arcade."

Oswald looked like he was about to protest, but to Mickey's relief, he nodded. "Okay... Sure ya don't need some help?"

Mickey immediately shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. I'll see ya later." He headed for the exit, hoping this would be forgotten by the end of the day.

Behind him, Oswald watched with a slight frown. "Yeah..."

* * *

The clanking gears seemed to echo the churning in Mickey's head as he slowly walked down the corridor. The projectors were working, but he went through the Underground when he wanted to be alone; mainly to get his emotions under control. Not for the first time, he felt a longing to talk to someone, just let out what he was feeling. But how could he do that to people who had already lost far more?

Letting out a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes. _"I miss ya so much, Minnie,"_ he whispered. _"I'm sorry..."_ His heart ached at the thought of how worried she must be, and a tear slowly slid down his cheek. _"I'm so sorry."_

Suddenly, his ears twitched and he looked up. Had he heard something? He listened carefully for several moments, then sighed and rubbed his head. "I must need some rest."

Mickey continued down the corridor, keeping an ear open. He just hoped that Oswald wasn't planning on pursuing their earlier conversation, because he was really starting to run out of excuses.

Suddenly, a whirring sound echoed almost right in front of Mickey, and just a second later, a huge, oddly shaped figure lunged out at him. Startled, Mickey instinctively leaped out of the way and pulled out the brush–which had been held behind him by his tail. He whirled around, but the dark figure lunged and overcame him in a matter of seconds. Mickey grunted as it knocked him to the ground and scrambled to get to his feet, but something hard and cold clamped down on his chest before he could move.

Mickey grabbed the metal device and began to struggle, but then searing pain ripped through his body, choking him in its intensity. As he gasped for air, he thought he could feel someone watching...

Everything went black.


	2. Chapter 1

"I don't get it, Ortensia," Oswald muttered as he leaned against a wall. "I can tell something's bugging him and I'm tryin' to help, but every time I bring it up, he acts like I'm threatenin' to punch him in the nose. And frankly, I'm gettin' close."

Ortensia smiled at him as she herded a group of bunny children outside to play. She knew he was just concerned, even if he wouldn't admit it. "Now, Oswald, I don't think you'll have to do that. Why don't you just ask outright?"

The rabbit looked up in surprise. "Huh?"

Ortensia rolled her eyes. Of course he wouldn't have thought of that. "Ask him outright what's bothering him. If I know Mickey, he'll admit it eventually."

Oswald looked at her, then smacked his head. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Ortensia giggled and playfully tugged his ear. "Because you're too macho, hunny bunny," she purred.

Oswald blushed a little and chuckled as she gave his cheek a kiss. "Thanks, hon."

"My pleasure," Ortensia giggled. "I'll see you later."

Oswald couldn't help smiling as he headed toward Mickey's house. How had he ever survived without her?

When he got to the door, he knocked a few times. "Hey, Mickey! You there?" He waited, tapping his foot, but no one answered. Letting out an impatient huff, he knocked again. "I haven't got all day, ya know!" Still no answer. Finally, Oswald opened the door and stepped inside. "Mick?"

Across the room, the phone chimed in greeting. "No one home! Want to leave a message?"

Oswald smiled. "That's okay. Ya know where he is?"

The phone sighed. "He hasn't been back since this morning. No one to talk to."

Oswald frowned in thought. "Huh... okay, thanks." Seeing the phone's sulking look, he smiled and patted its head. "If ya want someone to talk to, we can send some of the kids over."

The phone stiffened in alarm, then put on a casual look. "Oh, thanks, but that's fine! I think I, uh... I've got some calls to make, anyway..."

Oswald smirked and headed back out. "Alright, take it easy."

After jumping through the projector to Mean Street, Oswald saw Gus talking to Markus near the Penny Arcade. He hopped off the platform and walked over.

"Hey Markus, Gus," he said. "Is Mickey still around here? I was lookin' for..." He dropped off when he noticed the gremlins' concerned looks.

"Not anymore," Markus said. "He was here, but he left about a half hour ago. Last I saw, he was heading toward the Underground."

Oswald scratched his head. "That's weird... he should've been in OsTown. Thanks, Markus."

As him and Gus walked toward the entrance to the Underground, Oswald looked over at the gremlin. "So, what were you talking about? Is somethin' wrong?"

Gus shook his head, still frowning. "Not exactly, it's just... has something about Mickey seemed, well, _odd_ lately?"

Oswald stared at him in surprise. "It's not just me?" he asked. Gus shook his head. "That's actually what I'm lookin' for him about," Oswald said as they entered the tunnel. "So I can—"

He stopped in his tracks; something was lying on the ground in the corridor ahead. Oswald squinted, then his eyes snapped wide open as he realized what, or rather who, it was. "Mickey!" He ran over with Gus close behind and knelt down.

Mickey lay still on his back, eyes closed. He was breathing in slow, heavy breaths like he was hurt, but there was no sign of any injuries. Oswald noticed something in his hand and frowned. _Why did he have the brush out?_

"What happened?" Gus exclaimed, more to himself than anyone else.

Oswald shook the mouse. "Mickey? Hey, Mickey! Wake up!" Just then, he saw something that made his stomach twist. Small black drops were detaching from the mouse's body, floating up into the air before disappearing. He looked up at Gus to see the same shock on his face. Shaking it off, Oswald took one of Mickey's arms and hoisted him upright. "Gus, give me a hand! We gotta get him to the Doc!"

Gus immediately flew over and helped Oswald lift Mickey up. Working together, they carried him out of the Underground and to the new lab the Mad Doctor had set up on Mean Street.

"Doc!" Oswald called out. "We need your help! Somethin's wrong with Mickey!"

The Mad Doctor looked up from the sparking wires he was about to cross. "Something wrong, you say?"

"Yeah, we found him like this in the Underground and he's not waking up!" Oswald said.

The Doctor abandoned his project and hurried over for a closer look. He frowned when he noticed the drops and caught one, rubbing it between his gloved fingers. "Hmm... I see..." He nodded. "Put him on the table, quickly."

Oswald and Gus set Mickey down on the lab table and waited as the Mad Doctor began doing routine checkups, listening to his heartbeat and breathing, then pulling back an eyelid to check his eyes. After that, he turned and punched a button on a nearby control panel. A device on the ceiling whirred to life and a large machine with an eye on the bottom lowered from it. The Mad Doctor grabbed the handles on its sides and pulled so it was positioned over Mickey.

Oswald frowned. "Uh, Doc?"

The Mad Doctor gave no sign of hearing as he looked through the viewport on the machine, muttering to himself as the eye clicked and whirred. Gus glanced at Oswald, who shrugged. Finally, the Doctor pressed the button again and the device whirred back up to the ceiling. His face was unreadable as he lifted Mickey off the table and placed him on one of the small cots against the wall.

"So, what's goin' on?" Oswald asked, tapping his foot with impatience.

"It's very strange, my friends... very strange indeed."

Oswald resisted the urge to roll his eyes; the Doc had finally stopped singing everything, but he still had a flair for drama.

"As you may have suspected, the Blot inside him has reawakened."

Oswald stared in disbelief. "But... how? And why's he so out of it?"

Gus frowned with worry and nodded at the rabbit's words. "I saw the effects after he absorbed it. They never got this extreme."

The Mad Doctor frowned and tugged at a glove. "How it happened, I may be able to explain. Dark feelings like anger and sadness were very strong influences on the Blot. In large enough quantities, they certainly would have been enough to reawaken a smaller part. Why it happened... that, my friends, is unclear."

Oswald looked at Mickey, a realization coming to him as he considered their recent conversations. "I think I know," he said quietly. "Missing people you love... well, that's about the darkest feeling there is."

Gus glanced at Oswald in surprise, then let out a heavy sigh as he rubbed his neck. "I should've known. Ever since I told him about the device... but how did he get like this? It isn't even the whole Blot, and..."

"Ah, and that, my friends, brings us to the real mystery," the Mad Doctor said. "The reawakening wasn't what caused his current condition."

Gus and Oswald glanced at each other in confusion before the Doctor continued.

"A portion of the Blot inside him seems to have been..." He paused, then narrowed his eyes. "Forcibly removed."

Oswald felt his jaw go slack as he stared at the Mad Doctor. "Ya mean... somethin' sucked it out of him?"

The Mad Doctor drooped and sighed; it sounded nowhere near as dramatic put that way. "...In layman's terms."

Oswald looked at Mickey again, his ears twitching with unease. "So, is he gonna be all right?"

The Mad Doctor nodded, adjusting his gloves. "Fortunately, it hasn't caused serious damage. He simply needs time to recover."

Oswald let out a sigh of relief, but Gus still looked worried. "Will he wake up soon?"

The Mad Doctor nodded. "It shouldn't be much longer."

As if to prove his point, a faint groan came from the cot. The small group turned to see Mickey slowly lift a hand to his head. "Unh... wh-... what..."

Relieved, Oswald and Gus hurried over to his side. Mickey blinked, looking groggy and confused. "Wh-... Oswald? Gus?" He looked around with dazed eyes. "Where am I?"

"The Mad Doc's lab," Oswald replied.

"We found you collapsed in the Underground," Gus added. "You had us worried for a while."

"Oh... sorry..." Mickey murmured.

Gus smiled and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it now. Are you all right?"

Mickey winced and grunted as he sat up and touched his chest. "Y-Yeah, I guess. But I..." Just then, a few small drops of ink rose from his arm. He froze, staring at it.

"That ol' Blot inside ya's actin' up," Oswald said.

Mickey's face went blank with shock. Apparently, he'd assumed it was gone, too. "What?"

Oswald glanced at Gus, who looked just as uneasy. Before either could figure out the best way to explain, the Mad Doctor stepped up and cleared his throat.

"I'm afraid it was only dormant, still feeding on your negative emotions. It seems they were strong enough to reawaken it..."

Noticing the guilt filling Mickey's face, Gus and Oswald glared at the Mad Doctor, who realized his lack of tact and stuttered. "Er... o-of course, it was bound to happen sooner or later. And I very much doubt it could have been avoided."

Oswald nodded. "Mick... ya do know ya can talk to us, right?"

Mickey looked at him in surprise, then at Gus, who nodded. Shame quickly replaced it as he looked away. After a moment, he let out a heavy sigh and spoke. "I didn't mean for this to happen again. I tried not to, but... I just miss everyone so much. And... Minnie..." Tears filled his eyes and he closed them. His voice began breaking as he continued. "I... I might never see her again. I can't even tell her I'm okay, know if she's okay..." He trailed off, letting out a soft whimper as he buried his face in his hands. He looked so heartbroken that even the Mad Doctor had to blow his nose.

"Mick, why didn't ya just say so?" Oswald said as he put a hand on Mickey's shoulder. "I'll make sure you find a way home, promise."

Mickey slowly looked up, then smiled a little. "Thanks, Os." He glanced back down at his feet. "I guess I was afraid that... I was being selfish."

Oswald shook his head. "Nah, Mick. There's way more selfish things than that." Oswald's voice then lowered to a near-inaudible volume, as if voicing an unconscious thought. "Hah... I would know."

Mickey seemed like he was about to say something when Gus suddenly hovered up to him, looking concerned.

"I'm afraid there's something else," the gremlin said. "The Mad Doctor says that some of the Blot in you was... well, pulled out."

The Doctor nodded, stroking his beard. "Indeed, indeed... and judging from the circumstances, it was not by something or someone very friendly."

Mickey's eyes grew wide as he listened, raising a hand to his chest again. "Pulled out..." he muttered, a distant frown on his face.

Oswald glanced over at the Mad Doctor. "Wait, but shouldn't gettin' that inky mess outta him be a good thing?"

The Mad Doctor pulled down a small screen and turned it on. A white outline of the mouse's body appeared on the blue backdrop, with a black blob floating near it. "If done the correct way, yes."

Gus crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. " _Correct way?_ " he repeated.

The Mad Doctor gestured to the screen; the black shape moved into the body and began breaking up as it swirled around. "You see, over time, the Blot began to merge with his own ink. Removing it safely would be a very careful process requiring time and patience. This, however..."

A portion of the black suddenly tore out of the body outline. Even in this crude form, it made the viewers wince.

The Mad Doctor shook his head. "This was the exact opposite. Fortunately, the shock wasn't too severe... his body was able to recover in time to heal itself."

Oswald snuck a side glance at Mickey, ears twitching with slight concern.

"In the meantime," Gus said. "Perhaps, we should try to find out what did this. It could be very dangerous."

The Mad Doctor nodded and turned to Mickey. "Do you remember anything?"

The mouse closed his eyes. "It happened real fast," he said slowly, frowning. "But I remember seein' some kind of a... a dome with a flat bottom. And there was a whirrin' noise... it kept goin'. It sounded kinda like a Beetleworx." His body tensed as he continued. "It knocked me down before I could do anything. Then somethin' metal latched on my chest and started... pullin'. It felt like it was... rippin' something out of me. That's when I must a' passed out. Next thing I know, I'm wakin' up here."

The Mad Doctor scowled as he rubbed his chin. "Strange... strange indeed," he muttered. "It certainly must've been a machine. You don't suppose it could be some kind of rogue Beetleworx? It's unlikely, but certainly not impossible..." He glanced at the monitors nearby. "I'll have to run some calculations to find if any disappeared from the grid recently."

Oswald glared at the Mad Doctor with obvious impatience. "Well, what're ya waitin' for? Get to it! If it's one of your machines, I want it shut down right away!"

The Mad Doctor jumped and started typing rapidly on the keyboard. Mickey placed a hand on Oswald's shoulder, looking concerned. "Oswald, calm down. Whatever it was, we'll find it."

Oswald sighed. "I sure hope so. I don't want this happenin' again—to you or anyone else." He then waggled a finger at the mouse. "So, don't go off on your own again until we get this sorted out, got it? No more of that wanderin' dark alleys nonsense. There's a reason that never goes well in the movies."

Mickey grinned sheepishly as he rubbed his neck. "Got it." He touched his chest and sighed. "Believe me, I don't plan on runnin' into that thing again soon."

Gus smiled and nodded before hovering upward. "I should probably tell the other gremlins on Mean Street, so they can keep an eye out for it."

"Keep me updated," Oswald said.

Gus nodded and teleported out of the lab.

"Hmm..." the Mad Doctor muttered, looking at the monitor. "This is troubling."

He turned, frowning as he rubbed his chin.

"What's wrong, Doc?" Mickey asked. The Mad Doctor started and looked up, as if he'd forgotten the two were there. He then cleared his throat.

"It seems that all the Beetleworx are accounted for, and none have displayed any serious defects in their programming."

"Are ya sure?" Oswald asked. "Maybe you should double-check..."

The Mad Doctor pouted, looking a little offended. "Quite sure, but I can certainly run another check."

"Sorry, Doc, I just wanna make sure we find it before... anythin' else happens."

The Mad Doctor's frown softened and he nodded. "I'll also perform some scans on different areas of Wasteland for unusual activity... the Blot portion may be detectable. The results will be ready by tomorrow."

"Okay, thanks, Doc." Oswald turned back to Mickey, a worrying thought crossing his mind. "Ya know, maybe it'd be best if you stayed with Ortensia and me for now, in case they or it tries to... well, we have a guest room ya could use."

Mickey frowned, shifting in his seat. "Well... I don't wanna impose, but if ya really think it's a good idea..."

"It's no problem," Oswald said, then smirked. "Besides, the kids'll be tickled."

Mickey cringed a little. "Was that supposed to be encouraging?"

Oswald couldn't help chuckling at that. Mickey grinned back and hopped off the cot, stumbling a bit on the landing.

Oswald steadied the mouse. "Easy... you sure you're up to this?"

The mouse rubbed his head and nodded, still wobbling a bit. "Yeah, just kinda dizzy."

Once he was sure Mickey was steady, Oswald let him go and they walked together toward the exit.

* * *

Ortensia looked up in surprise as Oswald walked in with Mickey following. "Oh... hello, boys," she said, then noticed their looks. "Is everything okay?"

"Well..." Oswald said. "It's kind of a long story, but is it okay if Mickey stays here for a while?"

Ortensia cocked her head, looking concerned. "Well, yes, of course. But... is something wrong?"

Mickey and Oswald glanced at each other, but just then, the Bunny Children hopped in excitedly.

"Daddy! Unca Mickey!"

Oswald cleared his throat and smiled. "Hey, kids, guess what? Your Uncle Mickey's gonna be stayin' with us for a while!"

The bunnies squealed and began leaping up and down with excitement. "Yay! Unca Mickey's sleepin' over!"

Mickey smiled, but he was buried in a heap of cheering blue bunnies before he could say anything.

"I'll explain everything later," Oswald said quietly to Ortensia before wading through the swarm of bunnies. "All right, kids, you can play with your uncle later," he said as he grabbed hold of Mickey's arm, pulling him out of the crowd.

He then led him upstairs to the guest room, which was full of antiques and old family photos. "Well, I know it's not much, but make yourself at home."

Mickey smiled gratefully as he looked around. "No, it's great. Thanks a lot, Os." Suddenly, a sharp ache throbbed in his chest and he couldn't help wincing.

"Mick?" Oswald asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry..." Mickey said, rubbing his chest. "It's still kinda sore."

"Well, ya better get some rest," he said, grabbing Mickey's shoulders from behind and leading him over to the bed. "Just take it easy."

Mickey slowly sat down; suddenly his body was aching like all the pressures of the past few days had caught up with him. "Thanks, Oswald," he said.

The rabbit smiled reassuringly. "No problem," he said. "Hope ya feel better."

He turned to leave, but Mickey suddenly spoke up again. "Hey, Os..." Oswald stopped and looked back to see Mickey giving him a slight smile. "For what it's worth, I don't think you were selfish either."

Oswald stood there for a moment, startled. Slowly, he smiled. "Thanks, Mick."


	3. Chapter 2

Wasteland was quiet that night, some might say unusually quiet. However, in Bog Easy, Ghost Ian was breezing through Blot Alley, thinking it was one of the nicest evenings he'd ever seen. A faint chill in the air, fog, the occasional faint howl from the wind; he landed on the ground and sighed in contentment. It was just right.

Suddenly, a yelp came from up ahead. The ghost was about to go see what it was when a Spatter ran around a nearby street corner, then scampered up and tried to hide behind Ghost Ian, shaking and whimpering like a scared puppy.

"What's got you all shook up, little fella?" Almost right after he asked, another Spatter emerged from the alley. Before Ian could take a closer look, the Spatter turned with a vicious hiss. Normally, the ghost wouldn't have been unnerved, except for one thing: unlike the others, the creature's eyes were an eerie shade of red.

The other Spatter yelped in fright and hid its face in its hands as the red-eyed one hissed again and charged. Ghost Ian grabbed the friendly Spatter and zoomed up to a higher level. The strange one slid to a stop, garbling in confusion. After a few moments, it wandered off. Ghost Ian stared after it, then glanced at the uncomprehending Spatter.

"I got a bad feelin' about this, kid."

* * *

The next morning, Mickey woke up to find that several of the bunny children had invited themselves in during the night and were snuggled all around him, snoozing peacefully. One was even curled up on his head. He sighed, but couldn't help chuckling. Almost right away, the bunny on his head was peeking down at him with a bright smile.

"Hi, Unca Mickey! Can y' play now?"

As soon as he spoke, the other kids jumped awake and began squeaking excited greetings as they bounced up and down. Mickey laughed as he sat up, relieved to find that the aches and fatigue from yesterday were almost gone.

"Okay, okay, I'm up."

Oswald opened the bedroom door. "Mornin', Mick!" He gave a chuckle at the bunny kids. "Heh, looks like you attracted some little visitors." He walked over to the bed. "How ya feelin'?"

The bunny kids all looked at Mickey, their small faces full of concern. "Is Unca Mickey sick?" one asked.

Mickey stretched his back and smiled at the bunny. "Nah, I'm fine now. Just had a run in with a crazy machine yesterday."

The bunny kids' ears pricked and their eyes grew wide and excited as they began spouting eager questions.

"How big was it?"

"Was it scary?"

"Did ya whomp it? Huh? Did ya?"

"He sure did," said Oswald. "By the way, pancakes are ready."

"Pancakes!" one of the Bunny Kids exclaimed, hopping toward the hallway.

"No, me first!" shouted another one, and before long, all the bunnies were racing downstairs to get their breakfast.

"You doin' all right?" Oswald asked once they were alone.

Mickey nodded as he stood. "A little stiff, but yeah, I'm okay."

Just then, Ortensia called up the stairs. "Oswald, Mickey! Gus is here. He says it's important!"

The two hurried downstairs to where Gus was waiting.

"Ah, there you two are!" Gus exclaimed. "The Mad Doctor needs to talk to you two as soon as possible!"

"Really? What is it? Did he find somethin' out?" Oswald asked.

Gus nodded, looking nervous. "Something happened in Blot Alley last night, but I'm not sure what."

Oswald gulped, but before he could say anything, Mickey stepped forward, a worried look on his face. "It didn't go after someone else, did it?"

Gus shook his head. "No, nothing like that. The Mad Doctor says Ghost Ian saw something and you both should know about it right away. He's waiting for you at his lab."

"Alright, let's go," Oswald said. Mickey nodded in agreement. However, before they could reach the door, Ortensia grabbed one of Oswald's ears and pulled him back so that his lips were planted against hers. Mickey almost crashed into Oswald when the rabbit suddenly froze.

After a couple moments, Ortensia finally pulled away and smiled. "You weren't leaving without a goodbye kiss, were you, hunnybunny?" she purred.

"I-I..." Hearts began bubbling around Oswald's head as he wobbled and leaned against the wall, a bit dazed and confused from the sudden kiss. "Ha-hah..." he giggled goofily.

Mickey snorted and pressed a hand to his mouth to stifle a laugh, then reached over to give Oswald a nudge. "C'mon, _hunnybunny_."

* * *

"Hey, Doc, we're here!" Oswald called out as they entered.

To their surprise, Ghost Ian was floating in the air near the Mad Doctor. Even more surprising, and a little unsettling, was the fact that he looked worried. It took a lot to unnerve a ghost.

"Ah, Oswald, Mickey," the Mad Doctor said, turning from Ghost Ian. "Good... there's some news I believe may pertain to our, er, problem."

Mickey frowned uneasily. "What? Did something happen?"

The Mad Doctor looked at Ghost Ian and gestured forward. The ghost floated forward, fiddling with his hat. "Well, boss, last night I was doin' my rounds in Blot Alley. Was pretty quiet, but nothin' seemed too outta the ordinary. Then..." He gulped before continuing. "Well, I seen this Spatter."

Mickey cocked his head. "Don't ya see Spatters all the time?"

Ghost Ian nodded, turning his hat over and over. "Well, sure, but this one... it weren't one a' mine." The ghost glanced around the room, as if worried someone would hear, then floated a little closer. "They were scared of it, boss."

"Huh... that's weird," said Mickey.

"What about those scans ya did, Doc? Did anything turn up?" Oswald asked.

The Mad Doctor moved to a screen and switched it on. A grid of Wasteland appeared, with a few red blips blinking on it. "As you can see," he said. "Some destructive activity has turned up, and it appears to be in the same area where Ghost Ian spotted the unusual Spatter. So far I can only conclude that it seems much more aggressive than normal, but I would have to run tests on the Spatter itself in order to learn more."

"Well, sounds like we're goin' Spatter huntin'!" Oswald declared, grabbing a net with a long handle.

Ghost Ian replaced his hat and nodded before turning to Mickey. "Well, just make sure t' watch yourself, boss," he said. "Those guys still don't like ya too much."

Mickey nodded, looking sheepish. "Right," he said.

* * *

They emerged from the projector into the gloomy streets and alleyways of Blot Alley. A faint breeze blew through the eerily empty streets. It was always a bit unsettling visiting here, but they bravely pressed onward, net and Paintbrush in hand.

"Strange... there don't seem to be any Blotlings around," Oswald commented as they walked down the dimly lit streets.

Mickey glanced around, frowning thoughtfully. "Ghost Ian said somethin' about 'em bein' scared... Maybe they're hidin'."

"Hidin' from one little rebel Spatter?" Oswald said as they glanced around.

Suddenly, Mickey felt a strange ache in his head and stopped, wincing slightly as he raised a hand to it.

Oswald stopped and turned around. "Mick? You all right?"

"Yeah..." Mickey said, rubbing his forehead as ink drops rose from him. "I think so."

Just then, they both heard a gurgling snarl from a short distance away, followed by frightened yelps.

"That must be it!" Oswald exclaimed, rushing in the direction of the commotion with the giant net in hand. Mickey tightened his grip on the brush and ran toward the noise as well, ignoring his nagging headache. They turned a corner into a dark alley just as three Blotlings raced out, babbling frantically.

"Whoa!" Mickey exclaimed as the Spatters nearly ran them over in their rush to get away. Close behind them was another Spatter, which was snarling viciously as its red eyes flared. It lunged toward them, eliciting a yelp from Oswald and Mickey as they narrowly hopped out of the way.

"Yikes, that's definitely one nasty Spatter," Oswald said.

The Spatter responded by whirling around and lunging again, slashing its clawed fingers.

"Look out!" Mickey yelled, leaping out of the way.

Oswald dodged once again, then called toward Mickey. "Use Paint on it!"

The mouse nodded and whistled, drawing the Spatter's attention before shooting a spray of Paint. The Spatter stumbled back, snarling as it rubbed at its eyes. Mickey quickly took the advantage and shot more Paint. The creature began stumbling a bit, letting out drowsy growls.

"I think he's calming down!" Mickey called, edging closer.

"Good!" Oswald called back, moving in his direction. As Mickey shot more Paint, Oswald inched closer and raised the net. "And... gotcha!" He slammed the net down over the Spatter and scooped it up. "Now, we just need somethin' to carry him in."

Mickey rifled through his pockets. "Actually, I think I've got a sketch for that." He unfolded a stack of sketches and flipped through them. "A-ha! Here it is." He held out a sketch and blasted it with Paint, popping a small pet carrier into existence.

"Perfect!" said Oswald.

Mickey opened the carrier door. "All right, try n' get him in here..."

"On it," Oswald responded, dragging the net and Spatter across the ground and into the cage. Once the Spatter was in, he quickly pulled the net out as Mickey simultaneously shut the door to the cage.

"Got him!" Mickey exclaimed in triumph.

Oswald grinned. "Now to deliver him to the Doc!"

Mickey knelt down to get a closer look at the rogue Spatter; its growling had reduced to irritated grunts as it sulked in the cage, glaring at them. "Hmm... that's funny," he said. "He's calmer, but I don't think he's turned friendly."

"Really?" Oswald knelt down to take a look for himself. "Huh. Maybe the Doc can find out why."

As they made their way back through Bog Easy to the projector, the growling, red-eyed Spatter drew more than a few double takes, but Mickey noticed some looks directed at him. He glanced at the ink rising from his body and smiled slightly. "Guess I'm not the only one who got used to not drippin'."

They soon arrived back at the lab, Spatter in tow.

"We got him, Doc!" Oswald exclaimed.

The Mad Doctor turned around. "Excellent!" He snatched up the cage and examined the Spatter inside. It bristled and growled at him in response. "Hmm... interesting. Curious behavior he's exhibiting, though it's difficult to conclude exactly what the cause is..." A sly smile crept onto the Mad Doctor's face. "Yes... Perhaps a dissection could give us some valuable information..."

The Spatter instantly went bonkers in response, banging against the sides of the cage and snarling like a wild animal.

"Whoa!" said Oswald, taking a step back.

Mickey grabbed the brush from his tail and moved up to the cage, pointing it at the door. "Some Paint oughta calm 'im down. I'm just gonna need a clear shot."

The Mad Doctor flexed his hand, then quickly opened the door. However, before Mickey could shoot any Paint, the Spatter lunged out, knocking him down.

"Mickey!" Gus exclaimed as Oswald ran forward. The Spatter looked up at them and hissed viciously before charging toward them, swiping its claws at Oswald.

"Ah!" Oswald yelled as the claws raked his arm.

Mickey leaped to his feet, the ink almost churning from his body as he yelled furiously. "STOP IT!"

The Spatter froze, then turned toward him and cocked its head. Mickey's eyes widened and he stared in shock, the ink beginning to drip slower. The Spatter began to growl softly, but at that moment, a bolt of electricity hit it. Its eyes bugged as it jolted and garbled for a few moments, then flopped to the ground. Everyone looked at the Mad Doctor, who was standing nearby with a familiar remote in his hand.

"Oh, Oswald, I forgot to tell you: your remote is ready," he said, looking slightly sheepish.

Oswald rubbed the scratch on his arm. "Ya couldn't have mentioned that earlier?" The Mad Doctor merely shrugged and handed the remote to him. Oswald took it with a sigh. "Now can you please examine this thing before it goes nuts again?" He motioned to the knocked-out Spatter.

The Mad Doctor nodded and cracked his knuckles. "Right away," he said with an evil chuckle; it was a habit he'd never really gotten over. He pulled a lever, and a mechanical hand descended from the ceiling. It picked up the Spatter and set it down on the lab table as the Mad Doctor pulled down the X-ray machine.

"Oswald, you okay?" Mickey asked worriedly as he walked over to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Oswald responded, rubbing his arm.

"Let me see that," insisted Mickey.

"It's just a little cut. No big deal," Oswald lied.

Still, Mickey forced Oswald to remove his hand from the wound so that he could examine it. The mouse then frowned and quickly grabbed the brush again, touching the tip to the gash. "Here, hold still."

Oswald's eyes widened as a soft blue glow slowly flowed from the brush to his arm, surrounding the wound. Small beads of sweat began to form on Mickey's forehead and he took a deep breath, squinting even harder. Oswald and Gus watched in amazement as the gash slowly closed.

"Whoa..." Oswald said as he examined his arm.

Gus fluttered forward, looking confused. "How did you do that?" the gremlin asked. "I've never seen the brush do that before."

Mickey brushed the sweat from his forehead and smiled. "Well, Master Yen Sid's been showin' me how to channel my own magic into magical objects like this to enhance their powers," he said, "but I'm not used to it yet, so it takes a bit out of me."

A whirring sound caught their attention, and they turned to see the Mad Doctor pulling a lever. The mechanical hand lowered back down and picked up the Spatter, which was still out cold, and lowered it into a glass cylinder nearby. The Mad Doctor then turned to look at them, a strangely baffled look on his face. "This is much stranger than even I could have guessed, my friends. This Spatter is something I have never seen the likes of before."

The three toons glanced at each other, then looked back at the Mad Doctor.

"What do you mean?" Mickey asked. "What's the deal with him?"

The Mad Doctor frowned, fiddling with his gloves. "I'm afraid it looks like this creature was formed from the portion taken from Mickey."

"What?!" Oswald, Mickey, and Gus exclaimed.

"Not only that, but his increased aggression and speed is unnatural for a creature so small. So, I initiated an internal scan, and found this." The Mad Doctor stepped to a monitor and pressed a button; an image of the Spatter popped up on the screen. Oswald, Mickey and Gus looked at the image as the Doctor pressed another button, causing the image to become an X-ray. Several wire-like lines crisscrossed through the Spatter's body, going in and out of several circular structures.

Gus squinted at the image. "What the devil..."

The Mad Doctor crossed his arms, looking strangely serious. "This Blotling has been technologically enhanced with one of my Beetleworx."

"Whoa, it's like some sort of MechaBlot," said Oswald, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "It's like the Blotworx in reverse."

"Exactly," the Mad Doctor said. "And that is what worries me most. Only a few days ago, my blueprints for the original Beetleworx went missing."

"So someone must be makin' these things," Oswald put a hand to his chin in thought.

"But why? What could they be plannin' to do with it?" said Mickey.

"World domination, no doubt," Oswald responded, crossing his arms decidedly.

"What makes you say that?" Mickey asked.

"Isn't that what it always is?" Oswald answered with a shrug. Gus smirked grimly and nodded.

Suddenly, Mickey groaned and pressed a hand to his chest, leaning against the wall.

"Mickey?" Gus asked in a worried tone, reaching toward him.

"I'm fine," Mickey replied, trying to ignore the pain.

"Maybe ya need more rest," Oswald said. "I mean, ya did take a real beatin' yesterday."

"Oswald, I can't just sit around," Mickey said, looking anxious. "Whoever made that Spatter is probably gonna make more!"

"Relax, we'll figure this out," said Oswald.

"I _can't_ relax! Not with that _thing_ out there!" It came out louder than he'd intended and the others fell silent at Mickey's sudden outburst. "Sorry," Mickey said, turning and hurrying out of the lab.

Gus flew up beside Oswald. "He's taking all of this rather hard," the gremlin said, looking worried.

Oswald gave a sigh. "Yeah."

After giving the mouse a few minutes to calm down, the two of them headed out into the hall. "Mickey, you okay?" Oswald said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, it's just..." Mickey hesitated, looking at the ground.

"What?" Oswald asked, looking concerned.

Mickey glanced at his arm as a few drops rose from it. "When I yelled at that Spatter, back in the lab," he said slowly, "I felt _so_ mad. It was like I just wasn't myself. I could always control it before, but the way I felt just now..." A slight shudder ran through his body and he lifted a hand to his head. When he spoke again, there was a tremor in his voice. "I-I'm scared."

Gus fluttered up in front of the mouse and smiled reassuringly. "But look at what you did," he said. "You made the Spatter stop, to protect us. Even if it didn't feel like it, you were still you."

"Yeah, don't worry; whatever this thing is doin' to you, we'll stop it together!" Oswald said, giving a fist pump.

The mouse stood quietly for a moment, looking between them, then slowly smiled as the ink drops stopped. "Thanks."


	4. Chapter 3

"Then what happened? What? What?"

Mickey grinned at the group of bunny children, who were all quivering with anticipation as they watched him with pricked ears and wide, eager eyes.

"Then, just when we thought it was done..." he said, holding his hands in front of him like claws. "RARGH!"

He lunged forward, making the bunnies squeal in fear and delight, a few of the youngest ones curling up into balls.

"The dragon bot burst out of the lava, its tail whipping out two huge sawblades whirrin' so fast, we could barely see 'em! And then—"

"Your uncle screamed and hid while _I_ finished the job with my trusty remote!" Oswald cut in.

Mickey turned and glared at him. "Excuse me, but I think I was yellin' at you to get your tail out of the way before it sliced your ears off."

"Funny, that's not how I recall it," Oswald said, smirking. "You were the one that nearly got your scrawny tail cut off."

Mickey snorted. "Considerin' I had to run right under the thing, I was lucky it wasn't my head."

Oswald smirked. "And whose luck do you have to thank for that, I wonder?"

Mickey rolled his eyes, then smirked as well. "Say, did I ever show you kids those pictures of your dad when that ghost pranked us at the Lonesome Manor?"

Oswald's face went red. "You said there wasn't any film in the camera!"

Just then, Gus warped in, much to Oswald's obvious relief. "Oh, there you two are!" the gremlin said. "I was just talking to Jamface on Mean Street and he's heard something."

Mickey stood and stretched his back. "Well, sorry, kids," he said, grinning at them, "but I guess we gotta go do some investigatin'."

The bunnies all drooped in disappointment, but nodded obediently.

Oswald smiled at them and patted the nearest one on the head. "Why don't you all go see if Moody's got any stories?" The bunnies oohed and raced off toward the other side of OsTown.

Oswald and Mickey then headed to Mean Street, making their way toward the Windmill on the outskirts of Mean Street, where Jamface had taken up residence. As they passed through Mean Street, most of the residents either waved or said a few words of greeting as usual, but some of them edged away at their approach and either smiled nervously or avoided eye contact.

Oswald frowned as Mickey looked around in confusion. "Wonder what they're all edgy about?" Mickey muttered to himself.

Raucous, all-too-familiar laughter burst out nearby. "What? Ya ain't figured it out?"

Oswald and Mickey cringed, then turned as Big Bad Pete lumbered up from Town Hall, smirking.

"Oh, brother, what's he want?" Oswald grumbled as Mickey frowned. Pete's smirk grew even wider as he reached down and gave the mouse's arm a hard pinch.

"Ouch!" Mickey snapped as a few drips of ink rose from it. "Hey, what's th' big idea?!"

Pete snorted. "Hah! A lil' birdie been singin' around here, see? Sayin' there's weird stuff goin' on. And ya think folks ain't heard about your lil'... er... problem?" Mickey glared at him as Pete narrowed his eyes with a nasty grin. "N' we all know what that meant last time..." The mouse's face dropped and Pete guffawed again. "Oh, I'm sorry!" he said, sarcastically apologetic. "I seem t' have hit a nerve!"

Mickey's fists clenched, small ink drops beginning to rise from him. "Stop it."

"Lay off, Pete," Oswald said, stepping in front of Mickey.

The heavyset toon sneered. "Aww, ain't that cute? Our fearless leader stickin' up for his Blot buddy."

"I'm warnin' ya, Pete," Oswald growled, balling up his fists.

Pete laughed again. "Or else what?"

"Or else I'll put a dent in that stupid grin of yours. Hope ya have a good dentist."

Pete snorted but still took a step back, just to be safe. "Huh! Still lettin' the big guys pick your fights for ya, mouse? Not so big now, though."

Oswald took a step toward him. "Oh, I'll show ya a fight—" However, before he could make a move, he felt a tug on his arm.

"Forget about it, Oswald," Mickey told him, squinting angrily at Pete. "Let's just get goin'. We're wastin' time." Mickey then turned and walked on as Pete laughed again.

"Oh, sure! Don' let all us normal folks hold ya back, Mr. Bigshot Hero!"

Immediately after that, Mickey heard a loud _"YOWWWW!"_ followed by a thud that shook the ground. He stopped and whirled around to see Pete jittering on the ground, sparks jumping off him, while Oswald pocketed his remote.

"Right. Let's be on our way then," Oswald said, walking over to Mickey with a slight smirk. Mickey couldn't help returning it, but remained silent as they continued on.

Soon, a French-accented voice rang out. "Ah! Mickey, Oswald, zere you are!"

"Yeah, we heard ya saw somethin' suspicious?" said Oswald.

"Ah, yes!" the gremlin said. "Well, you zee, I was in Bog Easy to get some parts for ze Windmill and zere were Spatters running around! Zey have never left Blot Alley before, and ze residents cannot explain it."

Mickey frowned. "Spatters, huh...?"

"Did they seem... more aggressive than usual?" Oswald asked.

"Err... I'm afraid I'm not sure," Jamface said, looking sheepish. "I only saw them from a distance."

"In other words, you got scared and left," Gus said, smirking. Mickey and Oswald snickered as Jamface glared.

"Well, guess we better check out Bog Easy," Oswald said.

"Right," Mickey replied, then smiled. "Bet Donald'll have plenty to say about whatever's goin' on."

Oswald smirked. "I bet."

* * *

As they followed Animatronic Donald's 'directions' through the backstreets of Bog Easy, they noted how eerily quiet it was, the only sound being the echoing of their footsteps. It was a bit unnerving, to say the least, as if something could jump out of the shadows at any moment.

Mickey suddenly let out a loud squeak of fright as something yanked his tail. Then, hearing Oswald's chuckling next to him, Mickey let out an irritated huff and rolled his eyes. "Can we focus here?"

"Sure thing, Squeaky Toy." Oswald snickered.

"At least my tail doesn't fall off when ya pull it," he said, raising a brow.

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"

"Oh, sure," Mickey said casually, clearly trying not to laugh. "I've always wanted to misplace my foot and hop around on one leg all day."

Oswald held up a finger. "Actually, detachment is a pretty useful ability. For example..." Oswald detached one of his ears and whacked Mickey in the head with it.

"Ouch! Hey!"

The rabbit merely snickered in response, prompting a sigh of annoyance from the mouse.

"Y'know, we still got a job to do," Mickey said, rubbing the sore spot.

Just then, a loud growling sound interrupted them. They barely glanced up in time as a vicious Spatter dove at them from the roof, baring its teeth.

"Watch out!" Mickey yelled as he yanked Oswald out of the way, the Spatter narrowly missing them both. They immediately pulled out their individual weapons and assumed fighting stances.

"Try an' get a shot! I'll distract 'im!" Mickey exclaimed before racing around to the Spatter's other side and spraying some Paint. "Hey, ugly! Over here!"

The Spatter turned toward Mickey and charged at him wildly. As Mickey dodged, Oswald fired off a number of electric sparks at it. However, the Spatter was too quick and none of Oswald's attacks made contact, save for one stray spark that accidentally hit a different target.

The mouse yelped as his fur frizzed up with static. "Ouch! Hey, watch it!"

Oswald couldn't help but snort at him. "Sorry, this thing's too quick!"

Brushing the static off, Mickey leapt over the Spatter to dodge another attack. Then, thinking quickly, he Thinned out the patch of street the Spatter was standing on and immediately Painted it back in, leaving the Spatter with one foot stuck in the ground.

Before they could celebrate, however, a hissing sound came from behind them. Mickey whirled around to meet the glazing red eyes of four more Spatters.

"Yipes!" he yelped as he leaped back. "Os, look out! There's more of 'em!"

Three of the Spatters charged at him, and Mickey was quickly too preoccupied to say any more. He heard a zapping sound and smiled grimly; Oswald must have taken out the other one. He turned his attention back to the remaining three and kept dodging as he shot Paint to slow them down.

Suddenly, one Spatter veered sharply to the left. Mickey knocked back the other two and whirled around to counteract. Unfortunately, this proved too much of a push for his still-recovering body and he stumbled. With a hiss, the Spatter lunged and its claws slashed out.

"AGH!" The brush clattered to the ground as Mickey staggered backward and fell, clutching a hand to his side.

"Mickey!" Oswald immediately leaped over to cover him. He unleashed a forcefield of energy around them, stunning the remaining Spatters. Gus zoomed over to help Mickey as Oswald stood firm in front of them, glaring at the remaining Spatters as they began twitching wildly and garbling. After a few moments, they flopped down on their faces.

Oswald let out a sigh of relief, then turned. "You all right there, soldier?"

Mickey grunted as he started to stand, still holding his side. "I... I think so..."

Oswald hooked his arms under Mickey's to help him up. Once he was standing, Oswald lifted Mickey's hand from the spot and frowned as he examined the deep wound that was dripping black ink.

"Yikes, he got ya pretty good."

Mickey winced and nodded as ink drops started to rise from his body. "I c-can patch it up, though..." He started to reach down for the brush only to have a sharp wave of pain shoot through his side. He groaned again and started to fall, but Oswald caught him.

"Easy. I don't think ya don't have the energy for that," he said. "There's a Paint Fountain just down the street, though. It ought t' take care of that. C'mon."

Mickey gave a nod and started down the street, leaning on Oswald for support.

Oswald turned to Gus, who was fluttering nearby with a concerned look. "Gus, can ya grab the brush?"

"Right away!" the gremlin said, saluting. He zoomed over and picked up the brush with both hands.

"Thanks, Gus," Oswald said as he helped Mickey over to the fountain.

"Unh..." Mickey suddenly moaned, cringing. The few ink drops rising from his body increased, making both Gus and Oswald frown with worry. Oswald quickly lifted Mickey up onto the edge of the fountain, then cupped some Paint into his hands and poured it over Mickey's wound. Mickey couldn't stop himself from wincing at the sting, but it faded as the Paint sank in and the gash closed. Letting out a sigh of relief, he sat up and gave his concerned friends a grateful smile. "Thanks." As he spoke, the ink drops stopped rising.

Oswald smiled. "Sure."

Smiling in relief, Gus flew over and handed back the brush.

"Thanks, Gus," Mickey said as he took it and flexed his arm, testing its mobility. He leaned back, stretching, but accidentally leaned too far back and lost his balance. Oswald tried to catch him, but failed, and they both fell into the Paint fountain with a splash. Gus rolled his eyes as Mickey grinned sheepishly, his teeth and round ears the only recognizable features. "Heh... well, that's one way t' stay healthy."

The blue blob that vaguely resembled a rabbit gave him an annoyed splash. Mickey grinned and returned it before they both climbed out of the fountain, shaking the Paint off their fur.

"Shall we move on now?" Gus asked, smirking slightly.

"Sure, if Captain Clumsy here doesn't keep slowin' us down," Oswald remarked as he spun his ears, sending the Paint flying off them and splatting in Mickey's face.

"Yeah, well..." the mouse said in a casual voice as he wiped the Paint off, "next time I see a crazy, rabid Spatter, I'll tell it not to slice me open."

"Speakin' of which..." Oswald glanced down the street at the still-unconscious Spatters. "We should probably get those guys off the street while they're still out."

Gus nodded as he flew forward. "I believe Sparks still has some of the glass cages the Beetleworx used," he said. "It should hold them."

Mickey placed the brush behind him, gripping it with his tail. "Okay, then, let's get 'em over there before they come to."

Oswald thought for a moment, then pulled out his remote and set up an electric force field around the unconscious Spatters. He then hid his remote in a nearby planter so that the force field would remain up.

"There, that should hold 'em in case they wake up."

"Good idea," Mickey said, grinning.

"We'll hafta hurry before the battery drains, though." Oswald then shot Mickey a playful smirk before pushing him back and running toward the hub of Bog Easy. "Race ya!"

"Oh, no, ya don't!" Mickey yelled as he took off after him, leaving an unimpressed looking Gus behind.

The gremlin sighed. "Something tells me this is going to be a very long day."

* * *

As Mickey emerged onto the boardwalk of Bog Easy, he glanced around in confusion. He could've sworn Oswald had been ahead of him. All of a sudden, something leapt off a nearby roof and pounced on his back, knocking him to the ground.

"Gotcha!"

Mickey yelped in surprise before realizing who it was, then they both laughed.

"Ahem." The two looked up to see Gus waiting patiently in front of the workshop, a slight, teasing grin on his face. "What took you?"

As they entered the workshop, Gus fluttered ahead of them to greet his fellow gremlin. "Sparks, good to see you. Do you still have those cages you were studying?"

Gremlin Sparks nodded a greeting to Mickey and Oswald as they walked up. "Yes," he said, looking slightly confused. "But what for?"

Oswald smirked slightly. "We ran into some _friends_ on the way here," he said.

Mickey touched the faded scar on his side. "They weren't in a very good mood, either," he added.

Sparks nodded, moving toward a nearby door. "They're right in here," he said, opening it. "And I've got something to carry them with too, so once they get loaded, we can get them down there in no time."

"Here, we'll give ya a hand," Mickey said as he and Oswald walked over. Gremlin Sparks wheeled over a little trolley while they approached the glass cages.

Oswald attempted to lift one, but with little success. "Unnf... Alright, we're gonna need to lift it together," Oswald said.

"Right," Mickey agreed with a nod. Then they both bent down and got into position. "On three. One, two, three!"

Grunting, they heaved the glass cage up and onto the trolley. Repeating the process, they loaded up all the cages and headed back to Bog Easy. To everyone's relief, the Blotlings were still out for the count.

"The remote must've fried their circuits," Gus said thoughtfully.

"We still better get these little guys off the street," Mickey said. "Even if they're fried, it might still unsettle folks."

Oswald nodded as he went over to one of the Blotlings and dragged it into one of the cages. Mickey did the same with the second Blotling while Gus took care of the third.

"That's all of 'em," Oswald said.

Mickey frowned slightly as he glanced at the cages. "What should we do with 'em?"

"Turn 'em over to the Doc?" Oswald suggested, putting a hand to his chin in though. "They're part machine, right? Maybe they have some data on their source."

"Actually, that's a pretty good idea," Mickey said, tapping his chin. "It's probably our best bet to find who's makin' em."

Oswald puffed out his chest proudly. "Thank you." To that, Mickey merely rolled his eyes.

"I can warp back to Mean Street," Gus volunteered. "The Mad Doctor has rebuilt his hoverpad, so he can come and get them."

"Alright, sounds good," said Oswald.

"Be back in a jiffy!" Gus replied, giving Oswald a salute before teleporting away.

* * *

Back at the lab, Oswald and Mickey hopped off the flying machine while the Doc pressed some controls, causing the claws to release the cages.

The Mad Doctor stepped off his hoverpad and moved to the exam table, adjusting some equipment around it. "I've extracted some data from the first Spatter, but many of the electronics were damaged. However, with this many..." He grinned over at the glass cages. "I can surely gather much more data."

The trio glanced at each other and smiled proudly, glad their work had paid off.

"Now, then..." the Mad Doctor said, cracking his knuckles. "To work!"

"Do you think it'll work?" Gus muttered as they watched.

"I sure hope so," Oswald said.

Mickey nodded, giving a sigh. "I just hope we get some hints soon. Runnin' around without knowin' what you're lookin' for is kind of exhausting."

Oswald nodded in agreement. "Well, whoever or whatever is behind this has to show up eventually, and when they do, we'll give 'em a what-for!" He held up his fist.

"You bet!" Mickey said, grinning.

Oswald glanced back over at the Mad Doctor. "Got anythin' yet, Doc?"

"Hmm..." the Doctor mumbled as he examined the X-rays of the disabled Spatters. Finally, he turned and blinked. "Ah, you're still here?"

Oswald looked at Gus, who shrugged.

"Well, good... I have some information," the Doctor continued. "Bad news first... I'm afraid the circuits are too damaged to extract a full signal, so I cannot track them to their point of origin."

Oswald and Mickey both slumped.

"What?!" Oswald whined. "After all that?"

"Do ya need us to catch a new one?" Mickey asked.

"No, not at all," the Mad Doctor replied. "With their increased aggression and damage capability, attempting to capture a live one would be far too dangerous. And there is good news. While I can't distinguish their prime point of origin, there is enough to find their secondary ones."

He pressed a button on his large console and a map of Wasteland appeared on-screen, with small dots blinking at four different locations.

"The Blotlings are being distributed through each of these areas," he said, waving a gloved hand across the map. "Clearly by generators of some sort."

Oswald put a finger to his chin in thought. "So, we need to shut those generators down."

"Exactly!" the Mad Doctor replied. "And if you can retrieve data from each of them, I can certainly use it to find the location of the main generator."

"So, they're each like a piece of the puzzle, huh?" Mickey said thoughtfully.

"But how are we gonna extract the data?" Oswald asked.

"I included data storage capability among the updates to your remote," the Mad Doctor said, looking quite proud of his foresight. "All you need do is flip that switch there and it will go into scanning mode. The information will automatically transfer here and I'll get to work decoding it."

Oswald flipped the switch on the side of his remote and a radar image appeared on the screen. "Huh, neat-o. Thanks, Doc," Oswald said, impressed.

"Yes, yes... now you'd best be on your way! No time to waste! We must find out who's behind this as soon as possible!" The Mad Doctor gave them both a push toward the door.

"Okay, we're goin', we're goin'!" Mickey said as he and Oswald hurried out, Gus following.

"Where shall we start?" the gremlin asked.

Oswald pressed some buttons on his remote, pulling up a map. "It looks like I can track the location of the generators on here. Let's start with the one in Ventureland."

"Right then, lads," Gus said, pushing up his sleeves. "Let's move."


	5. Chapter 4

One after the other, Oswald, Mickey and Gus landed on the other side of the projector in Ventureland. The first thing all three noticed was the pirates hanging around the buildings.

"Hm... guess Captain Hook still hasn't shown up," Mickey muttered.

"Still, I thought they would have left by now," Oswald added.

Mickey smirked. "Well, remember who we're dealin' with here. Without someone telling 'em where to go, half of 'em don't even move."

Oswald snickered in response. "True. Those poor fellas. Bunch o' mindless flunkies."

Mickey chuckled, then noticed Animatronic Daisy moving around the pirates, her Spatter cameraman in tow. Her eager voice was clear even from this distance.

"And you, sir? Excuse me, sir? What do you think of these recent strange events and the allegations?"

Oswald headed over to Animatronic Daisy as the other two followed him. "Excuse me, what strange events are you talkin' about?" he interjected. Daisy turned and her eyes widened.

"Oh! You're here! So tell me, what does our Lucky Leader have to say about the Blot returning?"

She held her microphone in his face, making Oswald step back as he processed her words. "What are you talkin' about? We blew it to smithereens! It's definitely not comin' back."

Daisy moved the microphone back to talk into it. "But there are new Blotlings causing damage all over Wasteland! And sources tell me that Mickey Mouse is experiencing his old connection with the Blot."

The Spatter cameraman followed her as she turned and held the mic out toward Mickey, who looked stunned and confused. "What about you? What do you have to say about this?"

"Wh... But I don't have a connection! It's just some ink I soaked up."

Oswald stepped in front of Mickey. "Yeah, it's just a... side effect of the Thinner in the Blot he came into contact with. Nothin' to worry about."

"Well..." However, she stopped when she saw Gus and Oswald's glares. Instead, she cleared her throat and turned to the Spatter. "All right, and there you have it, folks! You heard it from Daisy Duck here on DNN... Duck News Network!"

The Spatter turned off the camera and Daisy turned back to the three toons.

"Anyways, do you know why the pirates are back here? Where's Captain Hook?" Oswald asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, no one's seen him since he disappeared during the earthquakes," Daisy replied, then glanced at the pirates wandering around. "They did go back to Tortooga for a while, but then those strange Spatters showed up and overran them."

Mickey stepped forward. "Does anyone know where they came from?"

Daisy gave him an apologetic smile before replying. "I'm not sure... for some reason they don't want to talk to me about it."

"Hmph... that's a mystery," Gus muttered under his breath.

Not hearing him, Daisy went on. "I bet they'd talk to you two, though. Ask around... I'm sure someone has an idea."

Oswald gave a sigh before heading over to one of the pirates. All this asking around was such a pain. "Alright, what are you fellas doin' back here? Aren't pirates supposed to sail the seas?"

The heavyset man snorted and crossed his arms. "An' we 'ould be too, if them red-eyed Spatters didn't chase us out. Nasty devils. Overran us in less n' a day."

Oswald raised an eyebrow. "You let a bunch of rabid Spatters drive you out?"

The pirate looked at them, his face dead serious. "If ye were there, ye wouldn't be askin'."

Mickey cleared his throat before stepping forward. "Well, anyway, does anyone know where they came from?"

The pirate shrugged. "Not a clue. Perhaps somewheres off the southern isle—that's where we encountered the most of the bloody lot."

Mickey frowned a little. "Southern isle? I don't remember bein' there."

"And that's why yours truly is the expert here," Oswald boasted, pointing to himself. "So you just follow my lead, Mr. Leader of the Club."

Mickey rolled his eyes and followed as Oswald headed for the projector leading to Tortooga. He felt eyes on his back, and glanced back. Some of the pirates were watching him, some uneasy, some suspicious. The mouse let out a sigh and jumped into the projector after his friends.

* * *

When the trio arrived at Tortooga, it was deserted. There were thinned-out spots on many of the buildings, likely because of the Spatters' attack, but the Thinner had finally drained, revealing the seawater surrounding the area.

Oswald pointed out to sea, where a distant island could be just barely seen on the horizon. "The southern isle should be somewhere in that direction." He then turned to Mickey with a smirk, eyeing the abandoned pirate ships by the dock. "You up for commandeerin' one of these ships?"

Mickey grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Anytime."

"Then, let's do it," Oswald said, using his helicopter ears to glide over onto one of the ships while Mickey followed on foot. Oswald then picked up a captain's hat that had been left behind and placed it upon his head, standing at the helm. "Alright, hoist the sails and chart a course to the south!" he ordered, pointing at Mickey and Gus.

Mickey saluted. "Aye-aye!"

"Yes, sir!" said Gus.

After a quick scan of the rigging, Mickey climbed the mast and jumped, grabbing one of the ropes. The first sail came down as he swung to the deck, handing it off to Gus to tie up.

"Hurry it up, ya bilge rat!" Oswald shouted at Mickey.

"You're welcome t' come up and try it y'rself!" Mickey yelled back before hoisting the last sail.

Oswald chuckled. "Now hoist anchor and set sail!" he ordered, pointing straight ahead.

Mickey ran across the ship and attempted to wind the crank that lifted the anchor, but try as he might, it wouldn't budge. "It's too heavy!" he shouted back.

"Alright, hang on!" Oswald hopped down to the lower deck and began pushing against another one of the crank handles. Gus zipped over to help as well, and with all of them pushing, the crank finally began to turn, slowly hoisting the anchor chain up to the ship. Finally, wind filled the sails and the ship began to move forward.

"Here we go!" Mickey said, looking excited.

"Yeah!" Oswald rushed to the front of the ship as it moved forward. He stood at the bow and took a nice deep breath of the salty sea air as it blew through his fur, rustling his long ears about. He glanced at the side of the ship and saw that Mickey was leaning out over the water, his eyes wide and shining with excitement. The rabbit couldn't help grinning. The mouse looked like a little kid on his first road trip.

"So, how far's this place?" Mickey asked.

Oswald rested his arms on the railing. "Shouldn't be too fa—ACK!" A large crash shook the ship, knocking them right off their feet.

"Are you two alright?" Gus asked, zipping over to them.

Mickey grunted as he sat up as well, shaking his head to clear the daze. "Yeah."

"I'm fine," Oswald said, brushing himself off. "What th' heck was that?!"

Gus glanced out to sea and gasped, pointing. "Look!"

Another ship was floating alongside them, commanded by a large, red-eyed Blotling and his crew of Blotling minions. The Blotling captain let out a maniacal laugh as he ordered another shot to be fired that shook their ship once again.

The deck shook, almost knocking them over again. Mickey grunted as he grabbed the railing. "Wha... Where'd they come from?!"

Oswald let out a sigh and glanced at Mickey with an unimpressed look. "We can't ever have a peaceful journey, can we? It's always somethin'."

Mickey sighed as he righted himself and reached for the brush, looking just as irritated. "Yep. Please tell me there's a cannon on this thing."

Oswald searched around the ship deck and uncovered some cannons hidden beneath sheets. "Bingo!" Oswald wheeled one of them over to the side of the ship and loaded a cannonball into it. He then pulled out his remote, using a zap from it to light the fuse, and covered his ears as it fired with a ' _BOOM!'_

The Blotlings let out wild yelps as the cannonball slammed into the side of their ship.

"Yeah!" Oswald cheered, but his grin quickly dropped as the Blotling captain garbled an order and several of the smaller Blotlings leaped off the ship, heading straight toward theirs. "They're boardin' the ship!" Oswald shouted to Mickey as he loaded another cannonball in the cannon.

Mickey already had the brush out and was bracing himself for a fight, but he looked and sounded far more nervous than usual. "There's too many for Paint, I'm gonna have to use Thinner! Watch it, some might come your way!"

"I swear, if ya turn me into a puddle again—!"

"I said I was SORRY!" Mickey yelled as he began fighting the Blotlings. Luckily, their resistance to Paint didn't seem to apply to Thinner. However, whenever he managed to thin out the swarm, more leaped from the other ship to reinforce their buddies, and soon ink was dripping from Mickey's body at a rapid speed. Oswald hesitated at the cannon.

"Mick, you need any..." A loud _'BOOM!'_ split the air, and a split second later, an enemy shot smashed into his cannon. Oswald felt himself thrown backward, then slammed against the deck. Through the ringing in his ears, he heard Mickey's yell.

 _"OS!"_

Frantic garbling from the Blotlings followed, and Oswald pushed himself up, shaking his head to clear it. When his eyes focused, his jaw dropped open. Mickey was shooting huge jets of Thinner from the brush that were burning through the Blotlings, his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed with fury.

"Whoa!" Oswald quickly dropped back onto the deck as some of the sprays of Thinner nearly hit him.

Once all the Blotlings were cleared out, Oswald pushed himself to his feet, glancing over at Mickey. "Whoa... I've never seen ya do that before!"

Mickey turned, and his angry look faded to one of relief, but the ink was still dripping rapidly from him and he looked almost afraid. "That makes two of us," he said with a crooked smile.

Angry garbling brought their attention back to the enemy ship. The Blotling captain was drawing a large cutlass, its face twisted in a nasty snarl.

"Let's finish this!" Oswald said to Mickey, who nodded. Oswald then joined hands with Mickey as he leapt and hovered over to the enemy ship.

As soon as the two landed on deck, the Blotling Captain yanked out a revolver with its other hand and fired off a dozen shots of Thinner. As they scrambled to dodge, Oswald saw a shot graze Mickey's side, causing the mouse to cry out in pain. However, before Oswald could ask if he was okay, the mouse let out a sudden yell of fury and charged the Blotling Captain, blasting streams of Thinner as ink churned from his body. Struggling to block the attacks, the Blotling could only squeeze off occasional shots from its Thinner gun.

Oswald joined in, firing shots from his remote to further stun it. Roaring in frustration, the Blotling Captain swung its cutlass. However, Mickey leapt right over the blade and lunged at it from behind, shooting it with even more Thinner to reveal the creature's inner mechanics, then slammed a gloved hand onto the big, red button.

The Blotling Captain exploded in a shower of sparks and purple ink and Paint, leaving the heroes black in the face from the smoke and sprayed with Blot slime.

As the smoke cleared, Oswald stood frozen in astonishment. "Gosh, save some for me next time!" He then turned to see Mickey leaning against the mast, taking deep breaths as the ink continued dripping. "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine," Mickey said, taking deep breaths as he struggled to calm his emotions.

Oswald glanced over in the direction the ship was headed. "Hey, it looks like we're almost there!"

Mickey scanned the shoreline. "Uh, so, how are we gonna land?"

"We gotta lower the anchor, of course," Oswald responded, heading over to the mechanism that controlled the anchor.

"Er, yeah... I was just wonderin' about that." Mickey pointed to the water just ahead of the ship, where enormous, sharp rocks were jutting out.

"Huh?" Oswald glanced up where he was pointing and skidded to a stop. "Oh. In that case... Abandon ship!" he shouted as he dove off the ship into the water below. Mickey raced to the edge and leaped in after him as the two ships smashed into the giant, jagged rocks with a crash as loud as thunder.

"Yipe!" Mickey gasped upon resurfacing. "This is cold as the dickens!"

They glanced around; thankfully, the island was close.

"C'mon, let's get to shore!" Oswald called over to him. Mickey gave a nod and they began swimming.

As they neared the shore, a large wave suddenly snatched them up and threw them, sending them flying onto the beach. After a few tries, Oswald finally pulled his face from the ground, spitting out a mouthful of sand. Glancing around, he noticed some legs sticking out of the sand a few yards away. "Mickey!" He scrambled to his feet and grabbed ahold of the legs, pulling until the mouse popped out of the sand, the force knocking Oswald back into a sitting position as Mickey landed in his lap.

"Oof! You okay?" Oswald gave the mouse's back a few thumps, causing Mickey to cough and spit out sand.

"Blegh!" Mickey groaned and thumped the side of his head, sending some water from his ear. "Jeez... why's it always a wild wave?"

"Maybe because our ship just got blown to smithereens?" Oswald motioned to the shattered remains of the ship floating in the water.

Mickey grinned and rolled his eyes as he stood up, brushing sand from his shorts. "Right." He looked around. "Well, at least we're here. Any idea where to look?"

Oswald shook the water from his fur, then pulled out his remote. "Looks like it's... thata way." He pointed into the jungle.

"That thing's still workin'?" said Mickey.

Oswald smirked. "Rather _lucky_ , huh?"

"Sure." Mickey rolled his eyes good-naturedly, glancing around at the foliage as they walked off the beach and into the trees. He smiled a little. "Boy... it's real nice here."

"Yeah, it is. Wouldn't mind stayin' here for a bit, would you?" Oswald smirked as he held a branch back and let it smack into Mickey behind him.

"Ow! Hey!"

Oswald turned around and smirked. "Whoops." Mickey made a grab for him and Oswald took off running through the jungle.

"Ya gotta go faster than that if ya wanna outrun a rabbit!" Oswald taunted, turning around and running backwards as he spoke.

"Oh, quit showin' off!" Mickey shouted as he ran as fast as he could. Oswald laughed at him and turned forward, then suddenly tripped over a root and face-planted into some mud.

Mickey burst out laughing as he trotted over and pulled Oswald up by his arm. "It helps t' look where you're goin', too."

"Oh, shut it!" Oswald gave him a playful push.

Gus cleared his throat as he caught up with them. "May I remind you two what we're here for?"

They both sheepishly nodded. Wiping the mud off his face, Oswald took his remote out of his pocket and checked it. "Hey, looks like we're gettin' close." He turned and began following the radar again as Mickey followed close behind. "Just a little more this way—AAHHH!" Both he and Mickey yelped as they suddenly found themselves plummeting down into the ground, tumbling down a steep dirt slide.

"Ow..." Mickey mumbled once he reached the bottom, rubbing his sore body and attempting to see through the pitch black. "Oswald? You okay?" he called out. "Oswald?" Just then, he felt something shift beneath him.

"Oomff... get off..." a muffled voice whispered in an annoyed tone.

Mickey quickly leaped to his feet. "Oh! Sorry, Os."

"Mickey! Oswald!" Gus's voice came from nearby. "Are you two all right?"

"Yeah, I think so," Oswald replied. "You alright, Mick?"

"Fine, 'cept I can't see a thing."

"Hang on." Oswald pulled out his remote and pressed another button. A light switched on from under its screen, faintly illuminating the space around them. "The generator's this way. C'mon, follow me."

Their footsteps echoed in the corridor as they started down the dark passageway, Gus hovering near the mouse's shoulder. Oswald looked down at his remote, holding it out in front of him. The radar symbol was pinging slightly.

"Looks like we're getting closer. Better stay alert... I'm willin' to bet it's guarded."

He heard Mickey snort behind him. "As Pete would say, that's a sucker bet."

All of a sudden, growling sounds filled the corridor. They glanced all around but couldn't see anything in the dim lighting. Before anyone could move, dozens of menacing Slobbers emerged from the shadows and surrounded them.

Mickey gasped and shot Thinner in an arc, but the Blotlings it hit only roared in anger at the slight damage. At that, all of them began to charge.

Oswald grabbed Mickey's arm and leaped, bouncing off a Blotling's head to land on the other side. He whirled around and shot a bolt of electricity. One Blotling began to short, but the others lunged.

"Run!" Oswald took off down the dark corridor, and Mickey bolted after him.

"Can't ya use a force field?"

"The generator's too close!" Oswald gasped. "We can't risk messin' it up, the Doc needs the data!"

The dark corridor finally opened up into a large, magnificent cavern where gems gleamed in the walls and pools of water shimmered all across the floor.

"Wha...?" Mickey almost stopped, startled. "What's this place?"

"Looks like we hit the jackpot! This must be some secret pirate's hideout or somethin'!" Oswald exclaimed.

"Hey, there's a door here!"

Oswald turned to see Mickey pulling some rocks away from a grated door near the entrance. "Good, we can hide in there!"

Oswald went over and helped him move the heavy rocks. Then, they both pushed the rusty door open and hurried inside, shutting the door behind them. They had barely gotten the door closed when snarling sounds approached from the outer corridor. Oswald motioned with his hand and he and Mickey ducked behind some rocks.

Several tense moments passed until the sounds of the rabbid Blotlings finally grew fainter. Oswald let out the breath he'd been holding and heard Mickey sigh as well.

The room they were in appeared to be a dark and damp jail cell, likely a pirate jail cell, as there were various pirate objects scattered about the room.

"Of all the places to hide, ya had tah pick this lovely dungeon?" Oswald commented sarcastically.

Mickey glared at him. "Me? You were the one who said to hide in here in the first place!"

"Well, you're the one who found it!" Oswald countered.

Mickey grumbled to himself and stood. "Anyhow, we better try n' figure out another way t' the generator... the main way looks kinda dicey." He stepped out and began looking around, then all of a sudden his eyes went wide and he hurried to the back of the cell. "Os," he called softly, "ya better come look at this."

"What is it?" Oswald came over, his eyes widening in shock as he saw the small object on the ground that Mickey was pointing at. "Captain Hook?!" The small robotic head didn't respond, so Oswald picked it up. "Looks like he's been powered down. Hang on..."

The rabbit pulled off one of his ears, morphed it into a wrench shape and unscrewed the screws on the back of the head, causing the back panel to fall off. He then stuck his hands inside the panel and fiddled with the circuits and wires until the head finally jolted to life, nearly springing up out of his hands.

"Blast! What do you slimy swabs want now?!"

"Captain Hook? What happened to ya?" Oswald asked.

The robotic head gave what could pass for a glare before speaking. "What do ya _think_ happened! Those scurvy beasts dismantled me!"

"The Blotlings tore ya apart? But why?" Mickey asked.

"Blast, how should I know?" Hook growled. "All they left was me head, then next thing I know I'm switched on in this cursed hole!"

"Do ya remember seein' a generator around here?" Oswald asked.

"I've been switched off! Although..." Hook narrowed his robotic eyes. "When I came through the secret back entrance to check me crew's booty, I heard something through the tunnel wall. I thought it was one of them gremlins clangin' around so I moved on. Then those blasted quakes hit and sealed off the tunnel. By the time I got out me crew had run back to Tortooga, the cowards! I was stuck here for days till the quakes stopped, and then those slimy beasts showed up and pulled me apart!"

Oswald frowned and glanced at Mickey before looking back at Hook. "Do ya think you can help us find that spot where ya heard the noise?"

Hook grumbled. "Of course... I know these caves like the back of me hand. Out of this cell, turn right and the back tunnel is that way."

The group stepped out of the cell, Oswald still carrying Hook's robotic head. When they reached the back of the gem-filled cave, Hook's eyes whirred as they moved to a specific area.

"Just move that rock there, and the tunnel is behind it. It will lead to a small cavern with a stalactite that almost reaches the floor. I heard the sounds through the left wall."

Oswald nodded. "Got it." He turned to Gus, who was hovering nearby. "Gus, can ya take Hook back and see if ya can fix him? Sparks probably has some extra parts at his workshop."

"Right away, Oswald!" Gus saluted him and teleported away with Hook's head.

The two toons then worked together to push the heavy boulder out of the way. They then headed through the opening, which led them through a small, dark tunnel. As they got farther away from the entrance, the tunnel became darker and darker until it was pitch black. Oswald pulled out his remote and the small screen dimly illuminated the tunnel.

"Any ideas how to get through this wall when we find it?" Mickey whispered as he followed. "Don't know if there's any fireworks down here."

"Well, we could always ram it with your big head," Oswald teased.

"I'm bein' serious here," came an irritated reply.

"As am I," Oswald responded, the glow from his remote illuminating the smirk on his face.

"Oh, forget it... guess we'll have to figure it out when we get there. Besides, yours is just as big."

Just then, the dim glow from the remote lit up a widening gap in the corridor. A column-like object was just visible past it, its width shrinking as it ran from the ceiling.

"There it is!" Oswald exclaimed. He hurried toward it with Mickey close behind. "Okay, he said it was on the left side..."

The mouse nodded and stepped up to the left wall, his ears twitching, almost like a satellite dish. After a bit, he picked up a faint rumbling sound. "Yeah... I think I hear somethin'."

"Now we just gotta figure out how t' get through." Oswald knocked on the wall, testing its thickness while Mickey looked around.

"Hey, look up there!" Mickey suddenly exclaimed.

Oswald looked up where he was pointing. A dusty ray of dull light was poking through near the ceiling. "All right, toss me up there," Oswald ordered, standing in a ready stance.

Mickey stepped forward and tossed Oswald up toward the chink in the wall. Oswald caught the edge of the wall and hoisted himself up. One the other side, he could see a large, glowing machine.

"How's it look?"

"Jackpot!" Oswald called back to him, then got on his stomach and reached down toward Mickey. "C'mon!"

Mickey jumped up and grabbed his hand, using his feet to climb up as Oswald pulled. Once he was up, they dropped down to the ground on the other side.

"Think there's any of those Mecha-Blotlings around?" Mickey whispered.

"There will be in three, two, one..." Growling erupted from the dark corners of the hidden room and dozens of glowing red eyes appeared. "Called it."

Mickey yanked out the brush. "Get to the generator! I'll hold 'em off!"

"On it!" Oswald shouted back as he ran over to the generator and began the long process of hacking with his remote.

Mickey scanned the room and was slightly relieved to see only a small group of Blotlings, but they were still huge. If he was going to hold them off long enough, he'd need an advantage. With a deep breath, he narrowed his eyes and let his emotions begin simmering inside him as he remembered everything these creatures had tried to destroy, what they had done to the toons he now saw as friends. Thinner shot from the brush, the jets growing larger and larger as his anger grew.

However, the large Blotlings were strong—unnaturally strong, and while the Thinner slowed them down, they continued advancing toward the mouse. As some of their ink dripped off, mechanical parts were revealed underneath.

"Ahhh!" Oswald suddenly cried out. Mickey glanced over to see Oswald flailing in the grasp of a Blotling. "Hey! I thought you were supposed tah be takin' care of 'em!"

"Hang on, I got it!" Mickey quickly shot a wave of Thinner that knocked back the other Blotlings and charged toward the one holding Oswald. Leaping, he smashed his feet into its face, making it yelp and drop Oswald as it stumbled back.

"Thanks," Oswald said, getting up. "Not too shabby a move either."

Mickey didn't answer at first, bracing himself as he held the brush out. A green glow began growing at the tip. "Keep going!"

The fury in his voice startled Oswald for a moment, but he shook it off and turned back to the generator, restarting the process of hacking and copying data.

Mickey gritted his teeth and focused all his anger into the brush. "Get... back!" Thinner shot out from it, engulfing the Blotlings. They began slumping into puddles, screeching wildly as it burned through to the wiring underneath.

Oswald stayed fixated on the remote's screen until it finally beeped, indicating that the data transfer was finished. "Got it!" he shouted to Mickey. He then turned the button on his remote like a dial and aimed it at the generator. The generator began flashing red and a robotic voice announced a warning that the self-destruct function had been activated.

"Time to blow this joint!" Oswald exclaimed as he scooped Mickey up and leapt through the air, bouncing off one of the large Blotlings and using the trajectory to glide through the hole that they had entered through. No sooner had they landed than a loud explosion was heard through the wall behind them.

"Whew! Well, that's one down," Oswald said, smirking.

"Yeah... one..." Panting, Mickey slumped against the wall, rubbing his head.

"Gosh, ya sure fight hard, don't ya?" Oswald teased. "Don't wear yourself out too fast. We still gotta get to those other generators."

Mickey nodded, but when he straightened up, he looked almost afraid. "It... it's never done that before."

"It?"

At that moment, Gus suddenly warped in. "Ah, there you are! I suppose the generator is taken care of?"

Mickey smiled and nodded, his strange mood suddenly gone. "Yep! That mess isn't gettin' cleaned up anytime soon!"

"Good show! Hook is at Sparks' shop now... he's not sure if he can restore him 100%, but it should be enough to get him up and running."

"Good. Thanks, Gus," Oswald said absentmindedly, giving Mickey a worried look before deciding to drop the subject. "Well, I guess we should head back now."

"I'm all for that," Mickey said, cracking his neck. Gus nodded and pointed down the tunnel, in the opposite way they'd come.

"There's another exit this way, and I found an old projector in the jungle. It was pretty run-down, but I got it working, it should take us back to Mean Street."

"Swell, let's go," Oswald said, heading back the way they came.

Mickey followed, trying to push what had happened to the back of his mind. _It was fine. I didn't lose it, nothing bad happened. Just don't push it that far again._


	6. Chapter 5

Back at Mean Street, Oswald pulled out his remote and turned on the radar. "Alright then. One down, four to go."

As Oswald watched the screen for results, Mickey sidestepped a Beetleworx scurrying down the street toward the train station with a stack of scrap metal. His grin grew troubled. "I sure hope we can get this stopped soon... those things can really do some damage, n' everyone's worked so hard to repair everything."

Oswald glanced up from his remote and nodded. "Tell me about it." He sighed. "Wasteland just can't seem t' catch a break."

 _Not since I showed up._ Mickey barely kept himself from saying the words out loud. Opening that can of worms right now was definitely a bad idea. "Yeah."

To his dismay, he hadn't quite managed to disguise the catch in his voice. Oswald gave him a curious look, but thankfully his remote suddenly beeped.

"Error?" Oswald smacked the side of the remote several times, groaning slightly in annoyance. "Ugh... the signal's jammed; I can't get a readin'. Somethin' must be interferin' with it."

Mickey frowned, despite his slight relief at the distraction. "Really? S' there any way to find out where it's comin' from?"

Before Oswald could reply, Gus suddenly warped in. "Ah, there you two are! There's some problems in Gremlin Village. Broadcast systems aren't working, communications are down, and no one can figure out why."

"I can't get a signal either," Oswald informed Gus, showing him the remote's error screen. "There's somethin' awful fishy goin' on around here. Somethin's gotta be blockin' the signal... but what?" He folded his arms in thought.

Mickey cleared his throat. "Maybe we ought t' head to Gremlin Village n' see if we can find out more. Someone's bound t' know somethin'."

"That's what I'm thinkin'. C'mon, let's go," Oswald declared, leading the way up Mean Street to the train station, where the projector to Gremlin Village sat.

* * *

When they arrived in Gremlin Village, it was bustling with even more noise and activity than usual. Gremlins darted and teleported all about the village, checking many different utilities and systems as they attempted to find the source of the communications failure. The trio glanced all around as they walked into the village, overwhelmed with all that was going on at once.

"This is sure quite the ruckus," Mickey commented.

Oswald nodded. "With how hard they're workin', ya'd think they'd have found the issue by now." He pulled out his remote again and tested it. "Still no signal, no radar, no nothin'." He hit the side of the remote a few times, trying to get it to work. "Ya know what, signals don't just jam themselves." He pointed at Mickey. "Either one of _your_ vintage radios landed around here, or someone messed with the communications on purpose."

Mickey looked around at the activity, a dry smirk on his face. "I'm willin' to bet it's the second one... whoever set up those generators prob'ly knows one of 'em's zapped."

Oswald nodded as he pocketed his remote. "And if whoever it is has the know-how to work with the Doc's designs, whatever's doin' the jammin's not gonna be easy to find."

Just then, a loud electrical zap came from inside a nearby house, and the two barely ducked in time as a sparking gremlin shot overhead. "YIIII!" His flight finally slowed and he righted himself, still jittering with electric sparks. "N-N-Negative on crossing the blue wires..."

"Ratchet!" Gus exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

The gremlin nodded in response as he headed back toward the house.

"Should've named _him_ 'Gremlin Sparks' instead," Mickey whispered to Oswald, who gave a small chuckle in response as they headed over to the house to investigate. Peeking inside, they could see many exposed wires poking out from the walls and hanging from the ceiling, sparking and crackling.

Gus let out an irritated sigh. "Ratchet, you know you're supposed to switch off the power before messing with the wires."

The other Gremlin looked at him with confusion. "But h-how else will I know if they're working properly?"

The trio of toons glanced at each other and simply shrugged to one another. Couldn't argue with that kind of logic.

"Well, uh, any chance you've figured anything out?" Oswald asked

Ratchet's eyes twitched a bit. "I can't... mm... do much with the systems jammed, but odds are, the source is up high where the broadcast would be stronger. S-Somewhere we can't access."

Mickey put a hand to his chin in thought. "Hmm, places Gremlins can't get to..."

"Just be careful, Ratchet!" Gus called as they walked away.

"W-Will do, S-S-Sir..." _Pzzzzzzzzt!_ Another loud zap followed the Gremlin's words. The group shook their heads at each other before moving further on into the village.

"My guess would be the Windmill," Gus mused, stroking his chin. "But... that's the first place everyone looked. You can still get up there without the projectors."

Oswald frowned. "Well, there's gotta be some clue around here. What're some of the last places anyone here would go?"

Gus thought for a minute. "Well, there's the spot where Small Pete parks his boat... but the Thinner still isn't drained all the way. Getting there on foot is still dangerous."

Oswald and Mickey looked at each other, and each knew they were thinking the same thing.

"Danger is our specialty," Oswald said casually, folding his arms behind his head.

"All in a day's work," Mickey added, a half smirk on his face.

Gus sighed and clapped his hands once. "Right, then. I'll help you find the best way."

The group headed toward the Thinner Falls on the far side of Gremlin Village. Even though the Thinner had drained in this area, the gremlins were still debating over a new name for the falls.

"There's an inlet up the river," Gus explained. "It's deep and the current doesn't affect it much, so the Thinner still hasn't drained. Small Pete says he anchors there so people won't snoop in his things."

Mickey wrinkled his nose. "Considering what's in that journal of his, I dunno why anyone'd want to."

Oswald raised his brow as he looked at the mouse. "You read his journal?"

Mickey coughed and waved a hand. "Long story."

They headed up the trail and soon came to the lake of Thinner. There was no bridge or path to be seen, only the various objects floating in the Thinner.

Oswald shot a smirk at Mickey. "I hope you're good at hopscotch."

Mickey returned the smirk. "Sure am."

"Good, because your life depends on it!" Oswald said with a laugh as he leapt across the first few objects with ease.

Mickey gulped as he approached the Thinner, but gathered his courage and made the first few hops across. Once Mickey was caught up, Oswald continued on ahead. They continued hopping across the trail of objects, being very careful to avoid any unstable-looking platforms. At one point, Mickey wobbled and lost his balance, letting out a yelp as he fell backwards toward the Thinner. However, Oswald was quick to leap over and grab him in time, hauling him back up to safety.

"Phew... thanks."

"I told ya tah be careful." Oswald almost seemed to be scolding him.

Mickey rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Heh, right."

They hopped the rest of the way, moving a little slower; Mickey to avoid another slip and Oswald to keep a subtle eye on him. Once they got on the steamboat, Mickey checked the door leading into the cabin.

"Locked. Guess Small Pete's smarter'n he looks."

Oswald grinned and stepped forward, detaching an ear. "Okay, step back n' let the expert handle this."

Mickey stepped aside and watched curiously as Oswald stuck his ear into the lock, moving it around until there was a sudden _click!_

Seeing the mouse's surprised look, Oswald shot him a proud smirk. "I have many hidden talents." He then opened the door and stood beside it. "Ladies first."

Mickey gave him an annoyed look and walked inside, giving Oswald a playful punch in the shoulder on the way by. Oswald laughed and followed him, shutting the door behind them.

"Maybe we should try the logbook first," Mickey said. "Even if Small Pete's smarter than he looks, that's still not much. We can at least figure out where he's been recently."

"Forget the logbook, where's his journal? I gotta see all the juicy stuff you found in there!" Oswald grinned mischievously as he dug through some drawers.

Mickey glanced at him with a smirk. "If you insist... but I think you're gonna regret it."

"Aha!" Oswald pulled a small journal out of one of the drawers. "Now what've we got here..." He began flipping through the pages, looking bored at some and disgusted at others. "Yeesh, when did he get so mushy?" he mumbled as he flipped through a few more pages. "Oh! Look at this!" He held the journal out in front of Mickey, snorting with amusement. "This is from the time I put a bee's nest on his seat! It says here he couldn't sit for weeks and when he ran out of ice, he had to put cold pickle jars down his pants!"

Mickey laughed as he looked through a drawer, wrinkling his nose at the thought. "No wonder he smells like vinegar." Then, with a victorious flourish, the mouse pulled out a thick book. "Aha! Logbook! Alright, Small Pete, let's see where you've been." He flipped open the pages and began looking at the most recent entries, his brow furrowing. "Has Pete visited Gremlin Village twice a day before?"

Oswald looked up from the journal. "Whaddaya mean?"

"Look." Mickey held out the logbook. "It says here that he's been going there twice every day for the past week."

Oswald gave a shrug. "I don't really keep track of his visits, but that does seem a bit odd, considerin' he doesn't have the best relations with the gremlins." He took the logbook from Mickey and began flipping the pages back to earlier entries. "Hmm... it looks like he was only visitin' a couple times a week, up until this one. What's he up to?"

Mickey shook his head, frowning in thought. "I dunno, but I guess this means we better head back and ask around."

Gus, who had been listening nearby, fluttered forward. "No need for that. I can go ask the others and be back in a jiffy!"

Oswald nodded. "Good idea, Gus. We'll keep looking for anything here."

The gremlin saluted and teleported off. Mickey began pacing across the cabin, thinking, and Oswald went back to flipping through the journal.

After a while, Oswald spoke up. "Strange. A few weeks ago, he started makin' lists of materials in here. Scrap metal, cogs, springs, wires... Is this for somethin' mechanical?"

Mickey stopped pacing for a moment. "Maybe... but what if he was just makin' repairs to his ship?"

Oswald scanned through the material lists again, slowly shaking his head. "I dunno, these don't look like ship parts to me."

A frown creased Mickey's brow as he walked over, looking at the entry over Oswald's shoulder. As he scanned the page, his eyes widened a little. "Os... this looks like it's for something big."

The rabbit nodded, a similar frown on his face. "And whatever it is, I know I haven't heard 'bout it. The repairs from the quakes are almost done... none of the areas around here would need this much."

Mickey sighed and began resuming his pacing. "Yeah... the only place that's still a pretty big mess is the castle, but that's closed off." He hesitated again, his frown growing more troubled. "I don't know why, but I got a bad feelin' about this."

"It's Pete; whaddya expect?" Oswald teased. Mickey glanced at him, but only a slight smile crossed his face before it became distant again. Oswald was about to reply when Gus suddenly reappeared in the ship's cabin.

"Reporting back!" Gus announced. "I've spoken to several other gremlins, and they told me something rather odd. Most of them do remember seeing Small Pete a lot lately, but they're all positive that he never anchored. It was as if he simply passed through on his way somewhere else."

"Aha! We've got him now! Shoulda known a rotten ol' Pete would be behind this!" Oswald gestured excitedly with a grin of determination. "Now which way did they see him headed?"

"Well, he was always on the waterway that leads to the Boat Ride," Gus replied. "Everyone figured he was just messing around with the machinery again, so no one thought to ask exactly where."

Mickey shrugged, a slight grin on his face. "Well, 'exactly where's' too easy anyway."

Oswald made a beckoning motion with his hand. "C'mon, let's go check things out!" He exited the ship and hopped back over to the shore, then began walking along the path that led into the Boat Ride.

Mickey followed close behind, jumping carefully across the Thinner before hurrying to catch up with the rabbit.

"Hey, you know that dragon? The one over in the Asian Boat Ride?"

Oswald glanced back at him. "Yeah?"

Mickey shrugged. "It's sure not an easy place t' get to. I'm not sure a lot of people even know how to get there. If I was gonna hide something, I'd find a place like that."

"Alright, we'll check there first." Oswald lifted a ring of keys from his pocket and unlocked a door beside the boat entrance. "We can take a shortcut through these maintenance corridors."

"Huh. Wish I knew those were here," Mickey muttered.

Oswald snickered, twirling the key ring around his finger. "Wouldn't matter if ya did. Ya wouldn't have been able tah get into 'em without me."

Mickey smirked. "Hey, I know how to get places without keys."

Oswald's grin widened as he repocketed the keys. "Well, Mr. Hotshot, ya can't always get by on your charm alone."

"Look who's talkin'," Mickey shot back. He glanced around as they entered the narrow room. "This kinda reminds me of home. All the crazy machinery in the back takes up about as much room as the ride."

"Glad my duplicatin' skills are up t' par. I built it from one of the blueprints they discarded—with a few modifications." He climbed up a ladder and headed through a door that led to a catwalk over part of the ride. The outside of the catwalk was decorated to blend in with the rest of the ride.

"Whoa, handy!" Mickey moved over to the side of the catwalk, looking down. "How'd ya do all this, anyway?"

Oswald grinned as he continued on, hands in his pockets. "You're not th' only one with construction experience."

"Oh, yeah!" Mickey hurried to catch up. "I saw that film in the Cinema the other day. Sure brought back memories!"

Oswald was about to answer when something caught his eye. He walked over and picked up a large wrench that was lying in the middle of the catwalk. "Weird. This shouldn't be here."

Mickey moved over for a closer look, frowning in thought. "There hasn't been any maintenance or anything?"

Oswald shook his head. "No, and even if there was, this wrench is way too big for a gremlin."

"Well, I think I know who it's NOT too big for," Mickey replied. "I'd say it was too obvious a clue, but it _is_ a Pete we're talkin' about here."

"Yeah, I bet the clumsy doofus came right through here." Oswald continued walking and headed through the door on the other side of the catwalk, which led into the Asia room. "It's gotta be in here somewhere."

Mickey smiled as he looked around. "I know we're on the job and all, but it's nice seein' this place fixed up."

"Sounds like you need a new tour of Wasteland. Ya really caught us at a bad time before." Oswald rubbed his neck, looking slightly embarrassed. "Gosh, ya must think Wasteland's supposed tah look like a regular dump!"

"Oh, no!" Mickey shook his head. "Even when I first got here, I could tell it wasn't supposed t' be like that."

Oswald glanced at him, a little surprised. "Really?"

Mickey nodded. "I'm not sure how t' explain it, though... it was just a feeling I had." Suddenly, the mouse groaned in frustration. "Oh, great..."

"What?"

Mickey shook his head and pointed at one of the houses. "One of the levers for the dragon's gone. Looks like it was pulled off... it's a good bet th' other one's gone too." He crossed his arms. "Probably means that's where this jammer is, but now we gotta figure out a new way t' get up there."

Oswald smirked and rolled his eyes. "Oh, is that all? Who needs levers?" Then, without warning, he snatched Mickey up, tossing him over his shoulder like a potato sack as he leapt from the platform.

"Hey!" Mickey yelped as Oswald glided across to the other side, unceremoniously dropping the mouse beside him as he landed.

"You're welcome."

"Oof!" Mickey gave a grunt as he landed on his back, shooting a glare at Oswald. He then picked himself up, smirking as he gave Oswald a playful shove. "Do ya always have an answer for everything?!"

Oswald laughed. "Mostly."

Mickey chuckled as he dusted himself off. "Well, guess we better start lookin' around."

"I'll say. I wanna see what he's been messin' around with." Oswald began looking around the area around the projector. "There's gotta be somethin' hidden around here..." He began checking the walls and floors, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

"Hey, look here."

At the sound of Mickey's voice, Oswald turned to see the mouse kneeling and examining a spot on the ground. "What's up?" he asked, walking over.

"Look." Mickey motioned with his hand. "See those marks on the ground?"

Oswald bent down to get a better look. As Mickey had said, two scuff marks stood out against the floor. "Looks like a ladder." Oswald then glanced upward. "Hey, look at that!" He pointed at a square-shaped indent in the ceiling, which had been sloppily Painted over to match the rest of the ceiling.

"A trap door?" Mickey asked, standing back up.

"Looks like it, but I don't see any way to reach it," Oswald replied.

"Hmm... how about this?" Mickey tossed out an anvil sketch, then shot it with Paint. A giant toon anvil slammed into the ground beside them, shaking the ground.

Oswald startled as it narrowly missed his toes. "Geez, watch where ya toss those things!"

"Sorry," Mickey replied with a sheepish chuckle.

Oswald hopped atop the anvil and reached upwards. "Agh! It's still too far! Give me a hand here!"

Mickey jumped up beside him and bent over, letting Oswald step onto his shoulders, then stood up again. Oswald then reached upwards and pressed on the ceiling. He could feel the tile shift, but something was blocking it. He felt around the ceiling until he finally found a latch.

"Aha!" he said as he unlatched it. The panel swung downwards, bringing a ladder along with it, which came down and bonked Oswald on the head, causing him to come crashing down on top of Mickey.

"Oswald! Are ya okay?" Mickey asked in concern as he propped the rabbit up.

Oswald shook the stars out of his head. "Yeah, I'm fine. C'mon, let's go." He got up and began climbing the ladder, Mickey following close behind him.

They emerged into a small, dark room. Springs and gears of various sizes were littered across the floor and piled in corners, dusty and covered with spider webs.

"Huh." Mickey looked around. "Wonder how long this's been here."

"Look!" Oswald pointed to a whirring machine in the corner covered with flickering lights. "This must be the signal blocker!" He headed over to it and began fiddling with the controls in the dim light. "Agh, shut down's been disabled, of course." He pulled out his remote. "I'm gonna try hackin' into it."

He pressed a few small buttons on his remote and turned the dial, then repeated the process several times. His remote beeped and flashed an error message. He hit the side of his remote in frustration and tried once more, only for the same error message to appear again. He let out a sigh, then glanced up at Mickey. "Hey, see if you can get that panel open." He pointed to a section of the machine.

"On it!" Mickey pulled out his brush and melted the side of the panel with Thinner, then knelt down and peered inside. "Okay, it's open. Now what?"

Not looking away from his remote, Oswald called out a reply. "Now find the C sub-panel with the circuit board labelled M56 and reroute the pins to outputs 89 and 90."

"What?" Mickey asked, studying the mass of wires and circuits inside the machine. "Uh, maybe you should do this."

"I would, but I have to transmit these signals at the same time. This machine's real hi-tech. It can detect the slightest changes and readapt its security measures. We gotta be quick about this."

Mickey took a deep breath and released it. "Okay... what was that first thing again?"

Oswald glanced up, speaking more slowly. "C sub-panel, circuit board M56."

Mickey scanned the circuitry, his hand hovering just away from the wires. Finally, he spotted the panel. "Bingo. Okay, now what?"

"Alright, you should see two small pins with blue rings and wires attached to 'em?"

Mickey squinted, then nodded. "Yep."

"Okay, pull out the first one and plug it back into the output labeled 89. Then plug the second one into output 90."

Mickey reached to pull out the nearest pin, then stopped. "Wait, how do I know which one goes where?"

"It doesn't matter. Just as long as there's pins going to those outputs, it'll work."

"Okay." Mickey reached again and yanked out one pin, then carefully stuck into the 89 output slot. After repeating the same with the other pin, he looked up. "Done!"

Oswald finished pushing some buttons on his remote and there was a ding of confirmation. "Got it! I'm in! Now to access the motherboard..." He turned the dial back and forth. "And initiate emergency shutdown!"

Suddenly, the machine's whirring grew quieter, its lights dimming until the whole machine had powered down, leaving the room pitch dark and silent.

"Ha!" Mickey whooped. "See how they like THAT!" Turning, he moved forward in the dark.

"Now, we just gotta get back to Gremlin Village."

"Right." Oswald replied, heading back toward the trapdoor panel, which, aside from his remote, was now the only light source in the room. "As for the machine, I'll have the gremlins disassemble it. That way they can't turn it back on again."

"Better put a watch on supplies too," Mickey said, "in case they try to make another one."

"Right," Oswald agreed as they reached the opening in the floor, which emitted a dim light. Oswald glanced down. "Hey, what's that?"

"What?" Mickey asked.

"That!" Oswald said, pointing down through the opening.

Mickey came to stand beside him, looking down. "I don't see any—AHH!" He suddenly felt a shove and was sent tumbling down through the hole. He flailed helplessly in midair until he suddenly felt something grab him. He looked up to see Oswald hovering with his ears, flashing a mischievous smirk as he carried him safely down onto the ground.

When they reached the ground, Mickey gave Oswald a hard shove. "You jerk! That wasn't funny!"

"Haha! You should've seen your face!" Oswald laughed.

Mickey glared, despite the smirk tugging at his mouth. "Well, laugh all ya want, pal, 'cause I'll get ya for that."

Oswald laughed even harder, unfazed by the threat. "Ooh, I'm _so_ scared!"

At that moment, Gus teleported in, raising a brow as he glanced between them with a knowing look. "Well, it seems you've done the trick!" he said. "All electronic functions in Gremlin Village have been restored, and it seems everything beyond is back to normal as well."

"All right!" Oswald pumped his fist. Grinning, he pulled out his remote and punched a few buttons. "Swell, it's workin' again. Now we can get back to the main job."

Mickey nodded and headed for the exit. Oswald started to follow him, then stopped and turned to Gus.

"Oh, and Gus, you'll find the signal jammer up through that hatch," he said, pointing. "Get the others and make sure it's disassembled. Also, tell everyone to keep a strict inventory on supplies."

"Right away!" Gus saluted and teleported off again while Oswald trotted to catch up with Mickey.

"Well, hopefully that'll keep us from havin' any more problems for a while."

Mickey nodded as they headed for the exit to the ride. "Right," he said. "Then we can take the rest of those generators down and figure out who's behind this. Then maybe all this mess will finally be over."

"Yep!" Oswald agreed.

Suddenly, Mickey released a heavy sigh and gazed at the ground. "I don't know, Os. To tell ya the truth, sometimes I... I just think..."

Concerned now, Oswald looked at the mouse a little closer. "What?"

The mouse glanced at him, then sighed. "Well, I guess I just..."

Oswald frowned in concern as he waited, but then the ghost of a grin flickered across Mickey's face. Before the rabbit could ask any questions, a blast of Paint hit him in the face. Knocked backward by the force, he landed with a grunt on his backside as Mickey burst out laughing.

"I was just thinkin' that would serve ya right!"

"Oh, that was just plain dirty, Mickey!" Oswald said with a glare, wiping the Paint off his face.

"And shovin' me off a ledge wasn't?"

A small smirk tugged at the rabbit's lips as he stood back up. "Touché." He balled some of the Paint up in his fist, then shot his hand out and rubbed it across Mickey's face.

The mouse shook his head, sputtering. "In the interests of bein' a good sport, I won't get ya back for that."

"More like in the interest of bein' a total wimp," Oswald teased, sticking his tongue out. Mickey stuck his own tongue out in response.

"Whatever. Just don't forget, Mr. Tough Guy, I've seen you do some less than impressive things yourself."

"Yeah? Like what?" Oswald challenged.

Mickey raised his brow, a sly grin crossing his face. "I have yet to tell the kids that story about the ghost at the Lonesome Manor."

His face turning red, Oswald snatched Mickey by the imaginary collar.

"Don't you dare! That was a dirty trick n' I..." Gus suddenly teleported in before he could finish, and Oswald immediately dropped the mouse, trying to look innocent.

"Everyone's been informed, and there's now a close watch instated on supplies. Anything goes missing, someone will know."

"Ah, great. Good work," Oswald responded. "Guess we'd better get to work finding the next generator!" He pulled out his remote and pretended to study it as he headed out.

Gus glanced over at Mickey as they followed after him. "Dare I ask what that was about?"

Mickey gave the gremlin a cheeky grin. "Just cashin' in some insurance."

Gus nodded, the slight confusion vanishing from his face. "Ah."


	7. Chapter 6

Back at Mean Street, Oswald checked his radar. "Looks like it's over at Fort Wasteland."

Mickey leaned in, looking at the remote. The screen displayed a very bare-bones map of Wasteland, outlines defining only the basic terrain and roads. Prominent landmarks were marked with small icons. At the very top portion of the screen, a white dot flashed, emitting ripples with a small pinging sound.

"Aren't all the Blotlings there reformed now?"

"Yeah," Oswald replied. "But there's been a lot of issues between 'em and the local Toons. Lots of folks are still pretty uneasy havin' 'em around."

"I'll bet," Mickey commented.

"Yeah, can't say I'd be too comfortable livin' with Blotlings myself."

Mickey sighed and shrugged. "Still, hope they can figure things out. Looks like the Blotlings are here t' stay, after all... and Ghost Ian says a lot of 'em are workin' pretty hard to fit in."

By now, they had reached the square that held the projectors. Oswald was still focused on his screen, but then he noticed that Mickey had hesitated. When he looked back, the mouse was standing in front of the Walt statue replica, gazing up at it with a distant look in his eyes. Oswald felt an uneasy clench in his stomach as he realized that he'd never really thought about how Mickey felt about that statue. Clearing his throat, he pocketed his remote and walked over.

"Mickey?" When no reply came, he placed a hand on the mouse's shoulder.

Mickey jumped, startled. "Huh? Oh, uh, sorry... just got a little distracted."

Oswald looked away, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Look, about the statue... I didn't mean to—I mean, uh, I did at the time, but that was just... I didn't know and I was mad and... I didn't actually think you'd ever see it—"

Mickey shook his head. "No, ya don't have to explain... I get it, really. I mean, it was kinda hard the first time I saw it, but not 'cause I wasn't in it."

Oswald frowned in confusion, but before he could ask any questions, Mickey continued.

"Up 'til then, everything I'd seen was so much like home. And I was so, well, happy t' see he was there too. But when I saw it was different, it just..." He hesitated, then released a heavy sigh. "It was probably when it really hit me that I wasn't home, and I just felt... so alone."

Oswald's ears drooped a little. "I'm sorry." He glanced over at Mickey. "But y'know, I think our statue over in OsTown is much better."

Mickey smiled at that, the small twinge of homesickness fading. "I like it too. It reminds me how something that starts out pretty messed up can end up something good." He glanced over at Oswald. "I know I've said this before, but it really meant a lot that ya did that—had the OsTown statue remade and all. I mean, ya didn't hafta."

The rabbit smirked and gave him a light punch on the arm. "Yeah, well, I do got a reputation to keep up."

Mickey smirked back; he'd been around the rabbit long enough to recognize his avoidance methods when things were getting too mushy. "Right, So, ready to hit the next generator?"

"I'm ready tah smash it," Oswald replied with a grin, hitting his fists together.

Mickey grinned back. "Then let's get t' the Fort and give 'em what for!"

Gus nodded. "We may need to be on our toes... the recent attacks by the enhanced Blotlings are straining things between residents even more."

"Hah! Ya say that like we aren't always on our toes anyway," said Oswald.

Mickey chuckled at that. "Like at the Lonesome Manor, huh?"

"Zip it, Squeaks," Oswald shot back.

Gus rolled his eyes as the group headed to the projector, but couldn't suppress an amused smile.

* * *

Emerging onto the docks of Fort Wasteland, Oswald and Mickey began making their way to the shore. Then all of a sudden, several Blotlings came racing across the docks, letting out a series of loud, frantic warbles. The two toons tensed, ready for a fight, but to their collective astonishment, the creatures only scurried behind them, trembling and garbling fearfully.

"What th'..." Oswald began, but then Mickey sucked in a sharp breath.

"Uh, Os... I think _that's_ why."

The rabbit followed his wide-eyed stare, then his own eyes widened. Other Blotlings were approaching in a feral crouch, snarling like demented wolves as their eyes burned red. Oswald and Mickey pulled out their weapons, assuming their fighting stances. One of the Blotlings lunged at them and they fired their weapons, Paint and bolts of electricity merging into a single beam that slammed into the Blotling, knocking it back. It roared in pain as it was knocked onto its back, electricity sparking off it.

The Blotlings huddled together behind them yelped, trembling even harder. In a rush of sympathy, Mickey gave them a quick, reassuring smile over his shoulder. "Don't worry, fellas. We got this."

The Blotlings' ears twitched, and a few let out a quiet chirrup as the two rabid Blotlings charged forward onto the narrow docks. Oswald leapt forward, grabbing onto a wooden post as he swung around it, slamming his feet into one of the attackers. It smashed into the other one, knocking both of them off the dock and into a stray pool of Thinner.

"Nice one!" Mickey called as he dodged swipes from the remaining Blotling. Twisting in mid-leap, he shot a thick blast of Thinner from the brush. The Blotling screeched as its ink sloughed away, revealing traces of the machinery underneath. "Os!"

"On it!" Pointing his remote, the rabbit shot a bolt of electricity directly at the half-revealed circuit box. The Blotling convulsed and jittered wildly as the sparks jumped all over its body. Finally it gave a final jerk, accompanied by a loud 'pop!', and collapsed in a heap. "That takes care of them!" Oswald grinned as he tossed his remote from one hand to another and pocketed it.

Mickey passed the brush back to his tail, then turned to look at the normal Blotlings. They were still trembling, peering around as if expecting more enemies to appear at any minute. Mickey stooped down to their level and smiled. "Don't worry, fellas. If there's any others, we'll take care of 'em, and we're gonna make sure they don't come back."

The inky creatures blinked up at him, looking almost startled. One by one, they stopped trembling and a few let out soft chirps that sounded like a thank-you.

Oswald gave them a nod in agreement. "Well, we've gotta get goin'. That generator isn't gonna turn itself off—though that would sure make things a whole lot easier if it did."

Mickey nodded as he straightened up, giving the Blotlings one more reassuring smile. "Just keep an eye out." He then turned back to Oswald. "Okay, let's get going. What's the radar say?"

Oswald looked down at his remote, turning a dial. "Okay, looks we're heading... that way." He pointed directly into the forest, far away from the path. As they approached the forest, they noticed that there was very little clearance between the large tree trunks, and that space was full of large, overgrown bushes.

Oswald frowned, then leapt up onto the lowest branch of the nearest tree—which wasn't really all that low. Mickey braced his feet, then took a running start and leaped. Grabbing the branch, he swung his legs and pulled himself up onto it. Oswald turned and hopped onto the next nearest branch, leaping from tree to tree in the direction of the radar signal. Mickey followed along, moving a little slower due to not being a rabbit but still managing to keep up.

Finally the signal began beeping faster, and Oswald pointed the remote toward a nearby tree. "Hmm..." Slowly, he moved the remote down until it pointed at the base of the tree and the beeping of the radar went wild. Oswald leapt down to the ground, spinning his ears to slow his descent. He then pulled back some dead branches and leaves around the base of the tree, revealing a small, metal door.

A scuffling sound came from above, then a loud yelp came from Mickey. In an unceremonious shower of twigs and leaves, he dropped to the ground beside Oswald. "Ouch," the mouse mumbled, rubbing his sore backside. The mouse looked up, his eyes widening at the sight of the door. "What d' ya know. Must be underground again."

Oswald raised an eyebrow at the mouse, then turned back to the metal door. There was no knob or handle; it looked electronic. He felt around the base of the tree until his hand found an unusually smooth depression. "A-ha!" He pressed the button in the middle of the depression, cleverly disguised as a knothole. There was an electronic beeping sound and the two halves of the metal door slid open.

Inside, the lowest area of the tree had been hollowed out, leaving the entire upper part of the interior intact. The ceiling was also quite low—the perfect size for the two rather short toons. As they stepped inside, they found the small room inside completely barren, the only point of interest being a set of stairs that led down into the ground.

"Underground, it is." Oswald pressed a button to mute his remote, then glanced at Mickey with a teasing smirk. "Try not to make any racket when ya fall down 'em."

Mickey glared at him as he pulled out the brush. "You're th' one who ditched me 20 feet up a tree, flat foot."

"Hey, ya made it up, I thought ya could make it down." Oswald gave a shrug. "If ya needed a ride, ya should've asked."

Mickey grumbled to himself as he followed Oswald down the steps. "Didn't need a ride. Just a hand would a' been nice."

Oswald chuckled and focused on his remote as the radar symbol pulsed. "Looks like we're gettin' pretty close. Remote says the signal's about twenty feet down and to the right."

"Probably more Blot guards too," Mickey grumbled. "N' I'm willin' t' bet they're not small fry."

He immediately regretted saying anything when Oswald gave him a teasing smirk. "Somebody losin' their nerve?"

"No," Mickey grumbled. His temper was shorter than usual regarding these Blot creatures. It wasn't that he felt any connection to them, it just bothered him knowing that he was pretty much the reason they existed in the first place. And he'd seen the damage they could do. What if they really hurt someone before all this was over?

Oswald gave a small chuckle. "Well, you seem a bit grumpier than usual about them." He gave the mouse a friendly elbow. "C'mon, ya know we take care of these guys easily."

Mickey's face tugged into a grin, then he chuckled. Oswald hesitated and cocked his head. "What?"

Mickey shrugged. "Was just thinkin'... not that long ago, I was the one tellin' you stuff like that."

Oswald looked away, his face turning slightly red in embarrassment. "Oh, uh... right."

Mickey smirked and gave him a friendly nudge. "Hey, relax. I don't tell anyone."

Oswald gave a small smile. "I know. Heh, it was pretty pathetic, huh?" He gave a self-deprecating chuckle.

Mickey stopped and put a hand on the rabbit's shoulder, making him stop as well. "No, it wasn't. Ya know how many times I've been stuck? I can't count how many times I've caught myself thinkin' I should ask Dad about somethin'... or wonderin' what he would do." The mouse's round ears drooped a little, his face distant and sad.

Oswald gave him a small, sad smile. "Heh, I wonder the same thing too sometimes." It was somewhat comforting to know he wasn't alone in that.

By then, they had reached the bottom of the stairs, which opened into a wide tunnel. Mickey squinted, but the light from Oswald's remote only went so far.

"Think they made this an easy one?"

Oswald's reply was as casual as the question. "Nope."

Mickey smirked. "Me neither."

"Just stay on your toes," Oswald said as they moved forward. "We can't see real far and I don't want anythin' sneakin' up on us."

A few minutes passed without much excitement. Then, the dim glow from Oswald's remote began to reveal a line of large, shadowy figures in front of them. As they moved closer, the number of figures seemed to multiply as the light slowly revealed them.

"Looks like we hit the jackpot," said Oswald.

"In a manner of speakin'." Mickey whipped out the brush, his eyes narrowed and serious. "Watch it... if we get too far apart, they'll mince us."

Suddenly, dozens of pairs of glowing eyes lit up in front of them, sending chills down the two toons' spines. They got into their battle stances and stood their ground as several of the Slobbers began stomping toward them, the ground rumbling under their feet.

Oswald looked over at Mickey. "If you can handle the closest ones, I'll keep stunnin' the farther ones to keep 'em from gangin' up on us!"

Mickey twirled the brush in his hand, his face now set in grim determination. "Got it." With that, he began spraying a fountain of Thinner at the nearest Slobbers, and Oswald shot bolts of electricity at the others, keeping them stunned and preventing them from getting any closer.

Leaping and dodging, Mickey finally managed to melt the Slobbers down to their mechanical frames, which were quickly outed by a zap from Oswald's remote. Mickey then turned his attention to the next Slobbers that charged forward, kept to a limit by the shocks from Oswald's remote.

"Uh oh." Oswald mashed the button on his remote with no effect as several revived Slobbers came barreling toward him. He yelped as he leapt into the air over their heads and landed, narrowly dodging them in time as they continued charging toward Mickey. "Look out!" Oswald cried as he hurried after them. He leapt up and dealt a powerful punch, managing to knock one of the charging Slobbers to the ground.

Mickey knocked back his current opponents with another blast of Thinner, then leaped and dodged around the charging Slobbers. Oswald zapped the thinned Slobbers with the small charge that had refilled on his remote. Then suddenly, he found himself knocked to the ground by the force of a Slobber inhaling from behind him. He dug his feet and fingers into the dirt, only to have a second Slobber smack him with its claws, making him lose his grip. "Help!" he yelped as he was sucked toward the Slobber.

The mouse whirled around, his eyes going wide. "Oswald!"

Knocking back the other Slobbers, he raced over and snatched Oswald's hand just before he was sucked in completely. He planted his feet, teeth clenched with the effort. "Hang on!" he grunted as he aimed and shot a huge burst of Thinner directly into the Slobber's mouth.

The Slobber choked on the Thinner, its suction weakening. Oswald's other hand–which was coated in purple slime–reached out from the Slobber's mouth and grabbed tightly onto Mickey's hand. Mickey pulled and Oswald slowly emerged, then suddenly popped out. The sudden lack of resistance knocked the mouse onto his back, the Blot-covered Oswald landing on top of him. Oswald gasped and coughed for a brief moment before managing to speak. "Thanks."

Mickey managed to catch his own breath and gave the rabbit a quick smile as they both jumped to their feet. "No problem. But better save the thanks till we're outta this mess."

Oswald nodded as he wiped the slime from his face and grabbed his remote. "Right."

As he shot more electricity at the Slobbers, Mickey continued to fight the nearest ones, dodging and weaving as Thinner sprayed from the brush. It took a while, but one by one, all the Blotlings were reduced to puddles. The two toons sighed in relief, exhausted from the effort.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate those things?" Oswald said as he began wiping the remainder of the Blot slime off himself.

Mickey smiled and wiped some of the slime off Oswald's back. "Ya missed a spot."

Oswald gave him a tired smirk, then looked at his remote again. "Looks like it's straight ahead. Let's hope these guys were all the guards they got."

On alert, both toons slowly moved further down the corridor. It wasn't long before the corridor widened, and the flashing lights and whirr of machinery told them they were in the right place.

"You go 'head and get th' data," Mickey said, giving the brush a quick twirl. "I'll keep an eye out for any more creeps."

"Yeah, you do that while I go do all the work," Oswald joked with a chuckle.

"Oh yeah, 'cause pressin' a few buttons is so hard."

"Well, if it's so easy, why don't you go and do it?" Oswald shoved his remote into Mickey's hands and gave the mouse a push toward the machine.

"Oh, uh, well..." Mickey squinted at the remote, then shook his head and handed it back. "Not a good idea... I'd probably mess it up."

"That's what I thought," Oswald chuckled, twirling his remote in his hand. "You just go play sentry then."

Mickey gave a good-natured grunt as he gripped the brush and scanned the area for any sign of movement. "Better hurry... with our luck the thing'll spit out a bunch more of those goons."

"Don't worry, I'm on it."

Oswald headed into the machinery area, where dozens of giant electronic panels filled the room. "Whoa..." he mumbled, weaving his way through the aisles of panels and monitors. He finally stopped in front of a large panel in the back, which appeared to be the master control panel. He began pressing buttons on his remote at a rapid pace, then ran across the room and flipped a lever. He then ran down an aisle and flipped another lever, then turned and ran down another aisle. Before he could get any farther, however, an error message flashed across his screen and there was a whirring sound throughout the room as the levers were reset. He let out a sigh of frustration.

"Mick, get in here!"

Mickey came rushing in, brush at the ready and clearly expecting a fight. "What? What's wrong?"

"Afraid I'm gonna need your help with this. There's some switches that need to be flipped at the same time."

Mickey relaxed, looking around at the machinery. "Oh." Somewhat abashed, he put away the brush. "Alright, what do ya need me t' do?"

"Well, I'm gonna flip this switch on the main console here," he motioned to the switch beside him, "and then you need to flip the blue switch over in the second aisle over there while I flip the green switch in the fourth aisle. Then you gotta flip the yellow switch in the first aisle while I flip the red one. Got it?"

"Blue switch, second aisle, then yellow switch, first aisle. Got it."

Oswald nodded, then both hurried to their respective switches. Mickey waited by the blue switch as Oswald flipped the main one, then they both ran around, flipping their respective switches at the same time.

"Okay, that should reroute the code to... Now I'll just type this in here..." Oswald began rapidly pressing buttons on his remote. "And deactivate that... Oh!" He suddenly ran to another control panel and began rapidly pressing colored buttons. He then began typing on his remote again. Finally, the machine began to shut down, its lights turning off and the whirring noises dying down. "Phew!" Oswald wiped the sweat from his forehead as the room darkened.

"Everything alright?" Mickey asked, hurrying over. "You got the data okay?"

"Yes, but that was quite a security system. Whoever built this obviously knew what they were doin'."

Mickey glanced over at the generator, ears twitching. "Well, that definitely rules out Pete. But it still doesn't really tell us what we're dealin' with."

"Well, that's another one down." Oswald reset the radar on his remote, locking it onto a different signal. He began walking back in the direction they had come from. Mickey trotted up beside him and followed along, watching the remote's screen.

"Think this one'll be harder to find?"

Oswald shrugged. "Probably. But ya never know... it could be easy."

Mickey snorted. "If it was one of the Petes, it sure would. We'd have probably found 'em all stuffed down in the City Hall basement."

"Or in the center of town with a sign sayin' 'This is not a secret evil lair,'" Oswald replied with a chuckle.

* * *

Once they reached Mean Street, Oswald pointed his remote around, trying to find where the signal was strongest, until finally pointing it downward. "Looks like it's comin' from underground."

Mickey craned his neck to get a better look at the remote screen. "Guess we're gonna be usin' the DEC again. Hope all the bugs from last time are worked out."

Oswald flicked his ears, grinning. "What, think we can't handle it?"

"Nah," Mickey replied. "Just hopin' we might have a bit of an easier go-round this time."

Oswald dragged open a manhole cover and leapt down into the dark hole. Mickey cracked his neck before jumping down after him. When he landed, Oswald was focused on his remote as he turned in different directions. Finally, his ears twitched and he nodded.

"Looks like we're headin' this way."

"Right," Mickey said.

Mickey remained silent for quite some time as they moved down the tunnel, prompting Oswald to glance over. He could tell that the mouse was deep in thought, and judging from his solemn look, it was about something worrying.

"E-Ticket for your thoughts?"

Mickey blinked, looking a little startled. "Huh? Oh, sorry... I've just been thinkin'. So far, these Mecha-Blot things are stickin' around the generators, but there's more of 'em every time. I have this bad feeling... it might not be long 'fore they start spreadin' around, and that's not gonna be good."

"You worry too much. I mean, c'mon, even if there's a whole invasion of 'em, we know how to stop 'em. And besides, we've dealt with much worse!" Oswald gave him a smile.

Mickey smirked, but the uneasiness remained on his face. "I just hope they don't hurt anyone b'fore we stop 'em."

That worry had been gnawing at Mickey ever since this whole fiasco started. Even if the others didn't think so, he felt like these new enemies were partly his fault. He should have made sure that the Blot piece was gone instead of just assuming it was.

 _Stupid._

Before Oswald could reply, Gus suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Ah, here you are! I've had a troubling report from the gremlins operating the DEC... there have been numerous sightings of hostile Blotlings causing damage to the equipment. No one got close enough to see the eyes, but I'm certain these are the mechanically advanced creatures."

"What a surprise." Oswald rolled his eyes. "Where are these sightings, exactly?"

"They were centered around two areas, the Rainbow Caverns and Bog Easy," Gus replied, frowning. "And that's not all... there are more of them."

Oswald glanced over at Mickey. "Well, we'd better get to work then." Mickey gave a nod and they took off down the corridor.

Once they neared Rainbow Caverns, they came across a rabid-looking Blotling hanging on the wall, chewing on a large, thick pipe. Its Thinner-laced fangs ate away at the pipe material, causing Paint to spew freely from the pipe.

"Get 'im, Mick!" Oswald said, readying his remote.

"On it!" Whipping out the brush, Mickey shot a stream of Thinner at the Blotling. Shrieking, the creature dropped down and looked around wildly. As soon as it spotted Mickey and Oswald, it hissed and charged.

"Os, you're up!" Mickey yelled as they dodged.

Oswald stood his ground and zapped the Blotling head-on when it got close. "Gotcha!" he said as the Blotling collapsed into a heap of ink and metal. Oswald kicked the pieces aside and rushed onward.

They defeated a good number of other red-eyed Blotlings along the way before they finally reached the wide-open cavern that housed Rainbow Falls. A large number of Blotlings patrolled the area immediately in front of the falls.

"Gee, I wonder where that generator could be," Oswald joked, putting a hand to his chin and giving Mickey an exaggerated puzzled expression.

Mickey grinned and stifled a laugh. "Well, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it's behind the falls."

He scanned the area and the grin turned into a slight frown. "There's sure a lot of 'em... this might get pretty rough."

Oswald looked around, smirking as he thought of an idea. "Not if they can't see us."

He hopped over to an invisible ink well and jumped in with a splash, vanishing from sight as the ink coated his body. There was the sound of him scrambling out, then suddenly, Mickey felt a push from behind him, sending him headfirst into the well. Within seconds, the ink had coated his body, rendering him invisible. After he climbed out of the inkwell, a hand grabbed his arm and tugged him toward the falls.

"Hey—!"

"Shh!" Oswald hissed. "They can still hear us, remember?"

"Ya didn't hafta push me," Mickey grumbled.

"Ya weren't movin' fast enough," Oswald whispered back, giving a small snicker. He then yelped as he felt a punch in his arm.

"Shhh!" Mickey hissed mockingly. "They'll hear ya."

"...Touché, Mouse."

Mickey then took Oswald's hand and interlocked their fingers. "Stick together," he whispered as they began walking toward the Blotling guards. After slipping past them, Oswald tugged Mickey toward the far end of the falls, where there was a small gap. They sidled in, careful not to get any of the ink washed off.

The cave corridor led into a large room that was absolutely swarming with Blotlings. Not just any Blotlings, but huge ones—Slobbers and Spladooshes. They took up so much space that there was barely any room between them.

"Oh boy," Oswald mumbled under his breath.

Mickey bit his lip as he scanned the area. "Well, there's the guards, but where's the generator?"

Oswald squinted. "I dunno, but from what the remote said, we oughta be right on top of it."

"Uh, Os..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know it doesn't make any sense," the rabbit muttered. "Maybe this piece of junk's broken again..."

There was a sharp tug on Oswald's ear. "Oswald, make that right _under_ it."

The rabbit looked up, and his jaw fell open. Hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room was a large generator.

"How in the world...?" Oswald gave a sigh, shaking his head. "Y' know what, never mind. Let's just get this over with."

He grabbed the mouse around the waist and lifted him above his head as he leapt up and spun his ears, gliding over to the generator. It was pretty high up, but with Oswald lifting him, Mickey was just barely able to grab onto a ledge. It was a struggle, but after a bit of grunting and groaning, Mickey was able to pull himself up.

"Okay, I'm up. Gimme your hand," he whispered to Oswald. He then reached down and batted at the air until he found Oswald's hand. Grabbing ahold of it, he pulled Oswald up onto the panel.

After scanning the machine, Oswald nodded to himself. "Okay, keep an eye out. I'm gonna have to hover for this one."

"Got it," Mickey replied.

Oswald climbed up a bit higher, then leapt and hovered around to the other side of the machine. After a bit of searching, he finally found the control panel. He set to work on it right away, hacking into it with his remote as he hovered in midair.

Mickey kept a close eye on the Blot creatures below, his ears twitching nervously as Oswald continued to work with his remote. Finally, the rabbit pressed a button and hovered back to the ledge.

"Okay," he panted, rubbing his ears. "I've got the data, and I can activate the self-destruct from a distance. That should take care of all these Blotlings too."

"Good, now let's get outta here before this ink wears off," Mickey whispered back.

After feeling around for where the mouse was, Oswald grabbed him around the waist and hovered back down, panting as he carried him over the sea of Blotlings. After sneaking back past the guards and putting a good distance between them and the Falls, they washed off the invisible ink with a blast of Paint from Mickey's brush.

"Okay," Oswald said with a grin, then pressed the button on his remote. "Fire in the hole!"

After a few moments, there was the sound of a muffled explosion and a tremor shook the ground. Pocketing his remote, Oswald smirked and raised a hand. "Three down!"

Mickey grinned back and high-fived the rabbit. "Two to go!"

Taking his remote out again, Oswald pressed a few buttons and the radar symbol began pinging. After a few minutes, a map appeared on the screen and zoomed in to a particular area.

"Well, looks like the next place is the Lonesome Manor."

"Really?" Mickey grinned. "Maybe I'll have another story for the kids." He laughed as he received a light punch in the arm.


	8. Chapter 7

There was quite a bit of activity when Mickey and Oswald arrived in Bog Easy. Several rabid Blotlings were overrunning the area, causing general uproar. They were immediately busy taking them out, making conversation limited.

"Whew!" Oswald said when they finally got some breathing space. "Things are really crazy around here."

"Tell me about it," Mickey replied. He frowned and brushed at his arms as ink rose from them.

"You okay?"

Mickey nodded, giving the rabbit a tired smile. "Yeah, I'm good. Definitely not looking forward to getting into the mansion, though."

At that moment, Gus warped in. "The locals tell me that the mansion has been closed off ever since the creatures started appearing, and the ghosts are having a lot of trouble with them."

Oswald hefted his remote. "Well, we'll give 'em what for and clear it out."

Mickey nodded, but in truth, he wasn't looking forward to fighting more at all. He was starting to really feel uneasy about using Thinner, even though it was far quicker to defeat the Mecha-Blotlings with than Paint. The more he used Thinner, the more he dripped ink, and that was starting to scare him.

Just then, Mickey heard a series of chirrups. He glanced over to see a few redeemed Blotlings giving him a friendly wave. Mickey was surprised, but smiled and waved back sheepishly.

"Huh," Oswald said, "looks like they're warming up to ya."

Mickey glanced at Oswald, then shrugged and smirked. "Well, it had t' happen sooner or later, right?"

The rabbit chuckled. "Don't give yourself too much credit."

When they arrived at the Lonesome Manor, Oswald pushed open the door while Mickey and Gus stood at the ready. Sure enough, there were Mecha-Blotlings swarming the foyer. Mickey began to use Thinner, but as ink began dripping faster from his body, he suddenly switched to Paint and began alternating between both Paint and Thinner. As a result, it took far longer than usual to clear the area.

"You're sure takin' your time," Oswald grumbled, exhausted from the long battle. "Think maybe ya can step it up a little?"

Mickey shot the rabbit a glare. "Hey, you wanna take th' brush, be my guest."

"I would, but then what would ya fight with? Ya don't know how to use the remote."

"In that case, how about usin' it t' figure out where we need t' go?" Mickey shot back.

Oswald huffed, then punched a few buttons on his remote, bringing up the radar image. It pinged for a while as he pointed it first one way, then another. Finally, when he aimed it upward, the pinging grew faster. "Must be upstairs," Oswald said.

Mickey snapped his fingers. "I'm willin' to bet it's in th' attic! There's plenty of room up there with the Mad Doc's machinery gone."

Oswald nodded, a little unnerved by Mickey's sudden change of tone. "Right."

As the group made their way through the Manor, they ran into large numbers of Mecha-Blotlings... not only Spatters, but Slobbers and Spladooshes. Despite his misgivings, Mickey began to use Thinner more than Paint again. He still switched to Paint occasionally, however, despite its ineffectiveness. Watching the mouse more closely now, Oswald began to guess what the reason might be, but decided not to push it.

Finally, the toons reached the attic of the Manor, and sure enough, there was the generator: crammed in the back of the room with plenty of Mecha-Blotlings guarding it.

Oswald twirled his remote and glanced over at Mickey. "I'm gonna go for the generator," he said. "Can ya hold 'em back?"

Mickey took a deep breath and nodded, tightening his hold on the brush. "I'll keep 'em away."

With that, the two toons began fighting their way across the room. Mickey shot Thinner that melted away the Blotling's ink while Oswald's remote took them out of commission. By the time they reached the generator, both were panting from exhaustion. Without wasting a second, Oswald went to work downloading the information from the generator as Mickey continued to hold off the remaining Mecha-Blotlings. After a grueling few minutes, the generator finally powered down.

"Alright, the self-destruct is set. Let's get outta here!" Oswald said, using his remote to unleash a giant electric field. The Mecha-Blotlings within range jittered, then collapsed. Dodging the remaining Mecha-Blotlings, the two toons raced for the exit. Once they were out of the mansion, the sound of an explosion shook the ground. Mickey panted, rubbing his aching head as ink dripped rapidly from his body. A hand on his arm made him turn to see Oswald looking at him with slight concern.

"You all right?"

Mickey took a few deep breaths, and the ink began to slow down until it was reduced to only a few drips. "I'm good," the mouse replied.

Just then, a few of the mansion's ghosts popped up nearby, startling them both. "Thanks for clearing the place out!" one of them said. "We were really starting to have trouble!"

Oswald grinned. "No problem! Glad we could help!"

Mickey smiled too, nodding. After the ghosts disappeared, he turned to Oswald. "Just one to go. So where do we go?"

Oswald flipped his remote back to radar mode, turning it slowly one way, then another. "Looks like the last one is up on Mickeyjunk Mountain."

* * *

Together, the toons headed up the mountain, fighting Mecha-Blotlings all the way. Eventually, they found themselves outside Oswald's old fortress. Both Mickey and Oswald fell into an uneasy silence; it had been a long time since they'd been here, and back then, tensions had been high between the two.

As the group made their way through the fortress, even more Mecha-Blotlings bogged down their progress considerably. Mickey noticed that Oswald seemed to be getting more and more agitated the longer they fought, so when they finally caught a break, he decided to ask about it.

"Oswald, what's wrong?"

The rabbit glanced over at him. "We're gonna have to take a detour," he said. "There's somethin' I gotta check."

Mickey was confused, but the arrival of more enemies quickly diverted his attention. He followed Oswald as the rabbit hurried along a hallway, then ducked into a small, out-of-the-way room. Peeking inside, Mickey's eyes widened. Inside the room, there were several old photos and newspaper clippings. Each of them included Walt. A few of them even had Walt and Oswald together. On a table, there were also what appeared to be some old family knick-knacks, likely given to Oswald by Walt.

Oswald's shoulders sagged with relief at the sight, then glanced behind him at Mickey, who remained standing in the doorway.

"I, uh..." he said softly. "I collected everything that I could find. I just had to make sure it was okay, what with all the crazy Blotlings roamin' around."

Mickey nodded, an understanding look on his face. He slowly moved up to the rabbit and placed a hand on his shoulder. As the two stood there, Gus waited silently in the doorway.

Finally, Oswald cleared his throat. "We, uh, better get goin'."

Mickey nodded, and the two slowly left the room. Oswald closed the door, his hand lingering on the knob, then pulled out his remote and turned it back on.

The group continued moving through the fortress, facing down even more Mecha-Blotlings. Finally, they reached the room housing the final generator. The place was crawling with enemies, and Mickey and Oswald had to fight hard to get across it and to the generator.

"Keep holdin' 'em back!" Oswald ordered. "I'll get th' data!"

"On it!" Mickey replied, twirling the brush in his hand. As Oswald worked to bypass the security system, Mickey continued to fight the inky monsters. Thinner sprayed from the brush in large waves, making the Mecha-Blotlings screech as their ink sloughed away to reveal the wiring underneath. Soon ink was rising rapidly from Mickey's body and his head was starting to pound. _C'mon, Oswald... hurry!_ he thought to himself.

Finally, a bolt of electricity shot from behind him, making a Mecha-Slobber jolt as sparks flew from its mechanical body before it collapsed in a heap of ink and metal. Mickey continued to spray Thinner, clenching his teeth as he tried to ignore the growing pain in his head and the ink rising from his body. Beside him, Oswald shot at the Thinned-out Mecha-Blotlings with his remote. Slowly, the creatures' numbers thinned out until only one large Mecha-Slobber was left. By now, Mickey was dripping heavily. Afraid to push it any further, he shot some Paint at the monster. But with a vicious snarl, it swung a clawed hand that hit Mickey, knocking him across the room.

"Mickey!"

Oswald charged at the Mecha-Slobber with his remote, then cried out as it snatched him up, pinning his arms to his sides. He couldn't move, couldn't fight. His throat tightened with fear as the monster drew back its other clawed hand to strike, but then Mickey's voice split the air.

"STOP!"

The Mecha-Slobber suddenly froze, and its menacing grin vanished. It began twitching, letting out strange whimpering sounds. Oswald yelped as it suddenly let go, sending him tumbling to the ground.

"Hey, what th'..." He froze at what he saw. Mickey stood there, his hands held out in a clawed position as ink bubbled from his body. His teeth were clenched, and Oswald could see him trembling with effort. His jaw dropped when he realized what was happening. _He's... controlling it?!_

A soft growling sound escaped Mickey's throat as he slowly lowered his hands, and the Slobber lowered onto all fours like a scolded puppy. Oswald stood frozen, unable to take his eyes off of what was happening. He could barely even believe it.

Suddenly, Mickey gasped and stumbled to the ground, clutching his head. The Mecha-Slobber hissed, its eyes narrowing, and began rising from its crouch. Oswald snapped out of his trance and shot a bolt of electricity, taking the creature out of commission. As it collapsed, the rabbit whirled around and raced toward Mickey.

"Mickey! Are you okay?!"

Mickey didn't even hear him. The thought of what he had just done raced through his mind again and again, filling him with an ever-growing sense of terror as his head pounded and ink churned from his body in sporadic waves. Curling on his side, he closed his eyes tightly and struggled to force them down. _Don't... don't push it any more! Get it together!_ The ink just kept churning faster, and a head-splitting wave of pain pulled him into a haze. Mickey started shaking as dark spots filled his vision. "No... no..."

Everything went black.

* * *

Oswald couldn't stop his ears from twitching with nervous energy as he waited in the doorway, watching the Mad Doctor. He tried to read the Doctor's face, but it didn't do much good; the Mad Doctor's thinking face rarely gave anything away. The rabbit's eyes moved to Mickey and his ears began to twine. Disturbing as it was seeing him actually control a Blot creature, that wasn't what was worrying Oswald most... it was Mickey's current condition. How bad could it get? Was he hiding it all this time, or didn't he even know how deep his connection to the creatures went?

"So, how's it look, Doc? Is it... ya know, bad?"

The Mad Doctor straightened up and lifted his goggles. "This is rather strange..." he said thoughtfully. "But it appears that it isn't at all."

Oswald blinked, confused. "What? What do ya mean?"

The Doctor looked at him with a thoughtful expression, rubbing his chin. "You're certain the circumstances were as you described them? The creature showed no signs of aggression?"

"Uh... yeah," Oswald responded. "It just sorta froze and collapsed... like a puppet on strings. Why? What does it mean?"

The Mad Doctor tugged on a glove. "It means that the Blot's power inside him likely responded to his own desire, and I imagine that desire was to stop the creature from doing harm."

"What's your point?" Oswald asked.

The Mad Doctor glanced at Mickey as the mouse shivered, letting out a faint whimper. "My point is, his own mind is still in control. All signs tell me that the possession he so fears is no more than that... a fear."

Oswald frowned, trying to make sense of what he was hearing. "You're sayin'... it's all in his head?"

The Mad Doctor shrugged. "The imagination is a very powerful thing." He looked at Oswald. "We know that better than anyone."

Oswald still looked a bit skeptical. "If he's not in any danger, then why'd he pass out?"

"Ah..." The Mad Doctor held up a finger. "That, my friend, is actually quite simple. With his... _ahem_... small stature, the mental and physical strain would be great, especially if he panicked. In this case, it merely became too much to handle."

"That's all?"

"That's all." The Mad Doctor nodded, then yelped as Oswald suddenly grabbed ahold of his lab coat, pulling him down to his level and staring him straight in the eyes, his expression dead serious.

"So, you're sayin' the piece of Blot in him is harmless?"

"That's correct."

Oswald's grip tightened. "And you're absolutely sure it's not dangerous?"

The Mad Doctor nodded. "But even if the danger is in his mind, it's very real to him. What happened will only seem to prove it. Self-doubt is a hard thing to defeat, especially alone."

Oswald's gaze drifted over to Mickey. "I don't get it. He's the most successful toon in the world! How can he possibly doubt himself this much?!"

To his surprise, the Doctor only looked at him with a thoughtful expression that almost looked gentle. "Success didn't stop you from doubting yourself."

Oswald's eyes widened at those words, and he slowly let go of the Mad Doctor's coat as they sank in. The Doctor brushed the creases from his white lab coat before continuing.

"Forgiveness from others can be hard to earn, but the hardest one to earn it from is yourself." He shook his head. "And everything that's happened lately certainly wouldn't have helped. We should take care for his state of mind when he wakes."

Oswald gazed at the Mad Doctor for a few moments, still a bit surprised to hear such wise words coming from him, of all people. Oswald then let out a sigh and approached Mickey's unconscious form, shaking his head.

"I can't believe you're doin' this to yourself," he said quietly. "You're such an idiot."

* * *

Mickey whimpered as dark shadows hissed all around him, sending feverish chills through his body. The unintelligible but mocking voices made him shake with fear.

 _No, no... I'm not like that monster... I'm not..._

With a gasp, his eyes flew open and he shot upright, only to be rewarded with a sharp ache in his head. Groaning, he closed his eyes again and rubbed it.

"Unh... my head..." A hand was placed on his shoulder, the sudden contact making Mickey jump. Instinctively, he pulled away and examined both arms with frantic eyes, looking for ink drops. "Wh-What's... Did I...?"

"Relax, everything's fine. Ya just passed out for a bit," Oswald assured him. "Listen, the Doc ran a few tests and he says ya got nothin' tah worry about."

Mickey looked up at him, confused now as well as scared. "But... you saw what I did. I controlled that thing! Just like..." He shivered at the memory, and grew even more scared by the ink drops that began rising again.

"Exactly! You controlled it t' save me!"

Mickey stared at him, his mind spinning and hands trembling. Finally, he pulled his knees up to his chest and let out a long, weary sigh. "I barely remember it..."

Oswald stared at him; he'd never seen Mickey look so sad, so afraid. "Mickey, ya got nothin' to be afraid of, trust me."

Mickey's gaze moved back to the floor, his throat tightening as he hugged his legs. "It's me I don't trust."

"Mickey..."

"This whole mess is 'cause of me. Why should anyone trust me?"

"'Cause you're a good toon! C'mon, Mick, you're bein' too hard on yourself."

Mickey glanced at him, then looked off into the distance. "So many times, I... I want to ask Dad what I should do. How I can fix all this. No matter how bad things got, it seemed like he always just knew what to do." Tears glimmered in his eyes. "It's like, for one second I forget, and then I remember he's gone."

Oswald had to work to keep himself from tearing up as well. He knew that same feeling all too well. "Mickey... I know exactly what he'd say."

The mouse's dispirited eyes turned to him again, and Oswald gave him a sad smile. "He'd tell ya t' stop doubtin' yourself so much. And then he'd tell ya a story of how everyone used to doubt him and how he'd never have made it if he let it get to him."

That finally brought a slight smile to Mickey's face. "Heh... yeah." Chuckling, he wiped his eyes. "Y'know, he used to say no matter how many people told him it wouldn't happen, he'd never give up."

Oswald nodded. "Yeah, and I know he'd want you to do the same. He'd tell ya it's never too late t' try again."

Mickey's smile widened. Somehow, Oswald had a way of making him feel better in the same way that Walt used to. He let out a quiet sigh. "Thanks, Os."

The rabbit smiled back and gave him a light thump on the back of his head. "No problem. Someone's gotta keep that rock-hard head in line."

Mickey couldn't stop himself from smirking. "Hope I wasn't out too long... Oh, what about the generator?"

"Don't worry, I got it while you were takin' your little nap."

Mickey gave a slight chuckle. "Great, now the Doc can find the main power source."

Oswald nodded, glancing over at the Mad Doctor, who was absorbed in his work. "Hey, while he's workin' on that, how about we go grab some ice cream? My treat."

Mickey stood and cracked his back, then gave Oswald a hand up. "Sounds good to me." His old grin appeared. "I think we could both do with a break."

Oswald smiled and gave a wave to the Mad Doctor as they headed outside. "We'll be back in a bit, Doc!"

They then headed down a path through the grassy hills to Mean Street. Since Wasteland had been restored and it was such a short distance, the projectors weren't always needed for traveling. After a bit of walking, Oswald heard a soft sigh and looked to see that Mickey's eyes had grown distant. He was smiling, but there was a strange sadness in it.

"Mickey," he said, making the mouse jump, much to his amusement. "Still a bit sleepy?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yeah..." Mickey gazed off into the distance, looking almost as if he were somewhere else. "It's just... me and… and Dad…" he said softly, "We used to do this all the time back home. Just walk, looking at everything, talking about what could happen next… "

"He did that with you too, huh?" Oswald said softly.

Mickey glanced over to see the rabbit gazing off into the distance with a very similar nostalgic look. "So that's why…" he said quietly. Oswald looked at him with a confused look and Mickey began to explain. "Sometimes, he seemed sad. Like he was remembering something he missed a lot. When I asked, he said he was just thinking of things he couldn't do before. I didn't understand then, but now… I think it was you."

"Me...?" Oswald uttered in surprise, his ears perking up.

Mickey placed a hand on the rabbit's shoulder and his smile grew a little wider. "Yeah," he said. "I think he missed you."

Oswald looked away. "I doubt it," he spoke in a soft, sad tone, his ears drooping a bit. "If he did, he wouldn't have forgotten me." His eyes became a bit glossy.

"No," Mickey said, an utter, almost fierce determination in his eyes, "He'd never forget. Never. I might not know a lot about what happened before me, but I know this much: He loved us, all of us, and I know that with all I got in me." A distant, sad smile crossed his face. "And I still feel it."

Oswald suddenly stopped, a bit of frustration beginning to boil up inside him. "Well, I don't," he grumbled.

Mickey immediately drew back his hand and stepped back, ink dripping upward rapidly from his body as his eyes grew dark with anger. "Don't you _dare_ say he didn't care!"

"Why not? It's the truth!" Oswald shot back.

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Mickey's dripping ink surged, almost looking like bristled quills on his back. Without even thinking, he pulled out the brush and shot a blast of Thinner directly at the rabbit. Oswald cried out in pain as he was soaked in the acid-like substance, his body melting down into nothing more than a formless puddle.

As Mickey stared down at the puddle, the reality of what he had just done suddenly sunk in. He began trembling all over, his eyes stretched wide with shock and horror. His hands were shaking so hard, he barely managed to shoot some Paint in order to reconstruct Oswald.

The rabbit coughed, propping himself up by his arms as his body reformed.

"I... I..." Mickey backed away. "I didn't mean... I'm sorry..."

Oswald reached out toward him. "Mickey, I—"

"N-No!" The mouse stumbled back, away from Oswald. "Don't! S-Stay away from me!" Mickey's eyes darted around, panic blurring his mind so completely he couldn't think. Whirling around, he took off down the path. All he could think was that he had to get away from here... he couldn't hurt anyone else.

"Mickey, wait! Where're ya goin'?!" Oswald stumbled to his feet and took off after him. Mickey whirled around, and Oswald found himself knocked to the ground by a faceful of Paint. When he scrubbed off his eyes and looked up, Mickey was gone.


	9. Chapter 8

Oswald was starting to get worried. The search for Mickey had been going on for hours, and there was still no sign of him. The rabbit mentally kicked himself for saying those things to Mickey. What had he been thinking? Discussing Walt was sensitive territory for them both. Still, it wasn't like Mickey to get so emotional so quickly—at least, it hadn't been until recently.

"Miiiickey!" Oswald called out as he searched. "Miiiickey!" Where in Wasteland had that mouse gone?

"Oswald!" Gremlin Gus zoomed over to the rabbit. "We think we know where he went! He was last seen heading to Mickeyjunk Mountain. The others are scouting it out."

"Mickeyjunk Mountain? Okay, thanks, Gus!" Oswald instantly took off running. What in the world was Mickey doing on that godforsaken mountain? It was still as dangerous as ever, swarming with Blotlings and Thinner pools. Oswald shook his head. He'd ask Mickey once they found him.

Emerging from the projector, he glanced up at the mountain as Gus reappeared beside him.

"I'll go see if anyone's found anything," said the gremlin. Oswald nodded, and the gremlin teleported off.

The rabbit gazed back up at the mountain and sighed. Hopefully, Mickey had calmed down enough to listen. Oswald began to climb the mountain, looking in every possible hiding spot he could find and hoping he would know the right thing to say. But if Mickey tried to run again, Oswald was prepared to tackle and pin him to the ground, if needed. After all, Mickey's attackers were still on the loose and he needed to reach Mickey before they did.

Suddenly Gus teleported in nearby, his face tense. "Oswald! We've found something! I think you'd better come now!"

The rabbit felt his stomach tense and his ears began twitching; that was something that only happened before things went very wrong. He ran after Gus as the gremlin zoomed down a trail leading to one of the isolated areas of the mountain, where one of the gremlins met them. Oswald's apprehension only increased when he saw what the gremlin was holding.

"The brush? Why would he leave it behind?" His mind raced at the possibilities. Had something happened to Mickey? Oswald glanced over at the Thinner pools. _Could he have...?_ Oswald looked away, shaking his head. No. He wasn't even going to consider that possibility. "Keep searchin' this area," Oswald ordered, resuming a determined expression. "He's gotta be close."

"Yes, sir!" Both gremlins saluted and moved out, investigating the area. Oswald gazed at the brush before placing it in his pocket. Considering who it belonged to, Mickey would never just leave it laying around. Either he'd just dropped it and been too upset to notice, or something bad had happened.

"Oswald!" The rabbit turned in the direction of the shout to see Gus waving him over. As he raced over, the gremlin looked up from the ground with a tense, anxious look. "Look... there was a struggle here."

Piles of Mickey merchandise had been toppled, their contents scattered across the ground. Many of the items were dented or smashed, while small blobs of Paint and Thinner decorated the ground.

Oswald's eyes widened as the realization hit him. "Oh no..." He was too late.

As the initial shock wore off, he felt a deep anger boiling up inside him and he turned to Gus with a fierce look. "Double the search parties and give everyone an update! We gotta find whoever took him before anythin' worse happens!"

* * *

Mickey groaned as awareness slowly returned. He started to lift a hand to his aching head, only for it to be brought up short with a clanking sound. The fuzziness quickly faded, and Mickey's eyes shot open. He began to leap to his feet, but once again he was yanked back down with a loud clang. A glance downward revealed the reason—chains were attached to his wrists, the other ends of which were bolted to the musty stone wall he had been sitting against.

Another look around confirmed what Mickey had already figured; he was in a dungeon. A movement drew his gaze to the bars of the dimly lit cell, and his jaw fell open. "Prescott?!" The gremlin glanced over at him, looking somewhat uneasy. Mickey stared for a moment, then his hands clenched into fists, anger replacing his shock. "Why're ya doin' this again?!" The gremlin looked away, his hands working silently as the sound of heavy footsteps approached.

"He awake yet, tiny?" At the sound of the voice, Mickey's hands clenched again. Sure enough, Peg-Leg Pete lumbered into view. Looking into the cell, a nasty grin spread across his face. "Back with the livin', eh, runt?"

Mickey tightened his fists, the chains rattling. "I dunno what you're up to," he said through clenched teeth. "But whatever it is, you're not gonna get away with it."

Pete laughed as he unlocked the cell door, throwing it open. "Big talk fer a pipsqueak t' be makin'."

Mickey glared as Pete approached. "What do ya want with me?"

"You'll see." Pete grinned nastily as he moved forward and detached the chains, snatching Mickey up in one hand. "Wasteland will thank us."

Soon, Mickey found himself back in the very room where he had first landed in Wasteland—the Mad Doctor's old lab. All the other Petes were there too. Big Bad Pete and Small Pete strapped Mickey down on the circular table as Prescott moved over to a large machine that seemed to be a modified version of the Mad Doctor's old heart extraction machine. There seemed to be an uneasiness in the gremlin's expression as he pulled over a metal device and attached it to Mickey's chest.

"Just let the machine do it," the gremlin said. "It'll hurt less if you don't fight it."

As Prescott moved to turn the machine on, Mickey clenched his fists and braced himself. There was a click, a whirring sound, then a familiar pulling sensation began; the same one from when he'd been ambushed in that tunnel the other day. Frightened, the mouse tried to pull away and almost instantly, the pain struck. It was so intense that he couldn't stop himself from crying out. He could feel it pulling, _yanking_ at his ink—his very life substance. Through the waves of pain, he felt the ink in his skin churn and begin to drip upwards. That was when it dawned upon him what they were extracting.

Prescott's voice came through the haze. "I _said_ don't fight it!"

Mickey gritted his teeth; how was he supposed to _not_ fight it?! If they removed the Blot from him, the consequences would be terrible—he knew it! The monster would come back and Wasteland would suffer yet again. He couldn't let that happen.

Gritting his teeth, Mickey put every ounce of his strength into resisting. His mind began to blur from the pain, and dimly he could hear Prescott and the Petes yelling, though he couldn't make out what they were saying. At that moment, a searing wave of pain struck, so intense that everything began fade away.

 _No._ Mickey fought to keep himself conscious, gasping at the pain. He couldn't— _wouldn't_ let this happen again.

* * *

Oswald paced by the Walt statue, waiting for the gremlins to report back. It had been almost an hour and there was still no further leads on Mickey. Letting out an impatient sigh, he began pacing even faster. Finally, Gus warped in beside him.

"Well?" the rabbit demanded. Gus shook his head, looking very worried himself.

"Still nothing. The others are looking for any sign of—"

"Oswald! Uncle Gus!" another familiar voice interrupted.

The two toons turned to see Gremlin Markus approaching. Oswald's eyes widened at the sight of the other gremlin following Markus. "Prescott?"

The other gremlin flew forward, looking extremely agitated. "I know where Mickey is." At that, Oswald's ears shot up. "He's in Dark Beauty Castle with the Petes."

Oswald's jaw fell open. "What?!"

Prescott huffed. "We were _trying_ to do Wasteland a favor, getting rid of the rest of that nasty Blot ink he was incubating, but the machine's too powerful and those bloody fools don't know when to stop! Look, I just need you to stop those half-witted pea-brains from committing Toon-slaughter."

Without another word, Oswald turned and rushed for the projector leading to Dark Beauty Castle, with Gus and Prescott following. Once they arrived at the castle, Oswald turned to Prescott with a glare.

"Where are they?!"

Prescott flew forward, motioning for the others to follow. The group finally reached the heavy doors leading to the Mad Doctor's old lab; ominous sounds were coming from behind them. Prescott flew up and removed the giant locks and the doors opened with a long creak.

Instantly, a howling roar split the air, and Oswald cringed in pain as he clutched his ears. He looked up, then froze in horror. Sinister, glowing green eyes glared down from a huge, inky mass that swirled across the ceiling, like a ghost from his worst nightmares.

"Those mangy, pea-brained...!" Prescott's voice, both terrified and furious, yanked him back.

Oswald tore his eyes from the inky beast to the circular table in the center of the room. Panic filled him when he saw it was empty, but Prescott zoomed forward.

"They must be down by the cells!" said Prescott.

Oswald raced after him with Gus close behind. As soon as they were out in the open, the Blot roared again and a black, inky tentacle lashed down toward them.

"Look out!" Oswald yelled, yanking the gremlins along as he leaped to avoid it. It crashed down just behind them as he rolled behind a column. "How's that thing already so strong?"

Gus shook his head and rolled up his sleeves. "We don't have time to figure that out now. You two get going... I'll distract him!" Oswald opened his mouth to protest, but the gremlin had already teleported to a nearby balcony. "Hey ugly! Over here!"

As soon as the Blot looked his way, he teleported to another spot, keeping it turned away. Oswald raced across the chamber toward the large window; unknown to many Toons, the platform underneath hid the entrance to the castle's dungeon. Oswald had closed it up long ago, before many had arrived in Wasteland. When they reached it, he saw that some of the beams had been moved, making a clear path to the big iron door.

Oswald yanked it open and sprinted down the steps, shivering at the slight chill when they reached the bottom. It was a typical dungeon, dank and gloomy, the only light coming from the torches lining the stone walls.

"H-Hey!" The rabbit clenched his fists and whirled around, only to be met with one of the most incredibly pathetic sights he'd ever seen. Cowering in a nearby cell were the Petes, looking like frightened little kids who had just opened a tiger's cage at the zoo. _Ha!_ Here, he'd expected a fight, but low and behold, they'd already jailed themselves! If he hadn't been so angry, he'd have busted a gut cackling at the situation. "Y-Yuh gotta get us outta here!" Small Pete sputtered. "We been down here since—"

Oswald silenced them with a spine-chilling glare. "You'll be wishin' you were still down here by the time I'm done with you!"

Then, spotting a slumped figure in a nearby cell, Oswald raced over to it. "Mickey!" Mickey was lying on the floor inside, his hands chained behind his back. He looked horrible: battered, sick, and obviously in pain. Oswald yanked at the cell door with all his might, but it wouldn't budge. Oswald clutched the bars, almost speechless with shock. " _What_..." He whirled around, his eyes burning with a rage that made the Petes' ink run cold. "...did you _do_ to him?!"

Peteronic began stuttering, but a harsh creak interrupted him as Prescott unlocked and pulled open Mickey's cell door. Oswald shoved past him in his hurry to get in and over to Mickey. Kneeling beside him, he grabbed the mouse's shoulders and shook him.

"Mickey! Hey, wake up!"

Mickey's ears twitched at the familiar voice. He groaned weakly and started to lift his head. "O-... Os...?"

Oswald's worried look softened into a small smile. He gently pushed Mickey up into a sitting position, letting the mouse lean against him. "Yeah, it's me. Don't worry, I'm gonna getcha outta here."

Mickey started to answer but groaned again as a sharp wave of pain shot through him. Prescott zoomed in, giving a frown. "He doesn't look good."

Oswald's face twisted with concern, but he quickly focused on Mickey's chains and detached an ear. Morphing one end into a key, he inserted it into the lock and carefully jiggled it a few times. His efforts were rewarded with a satisfying click, and the lock sprang open. As he removed the chains, Oswald noticed heavy bruises on Mickey's wrists. A glance revealed the same thing on his ankles. Whatever they had done, Mickey had fought it, and fought hard. Oswald's anger flared again and he shot the Petes another venomous look, but managed to keep his voice calm.

"Okay, just take it easy..." Almost that same moment, the ground and walls suddenly shook.

"We need to get out of here!" said Prescott.

Wasting no time, Oswald hoisted Mickey up over his shoulder and started running for the exit.

"Hey, wait fer us!" Petetronic called. "We're stuck in here n' we dropped th' keys!"

Oswald glared at him, then let out an annoyed huff. "Fine." Reluctantly, he used his rabbit ear to unlock the cell door. "I'm not keepin' an eye on you, so ya better keep up!" Oswald snapped.

Soon, they all emerged from the dungeon and back into the Mad Doctor's old lab where the Blot was continuing to wreak havoc. Gus was still teleporting from place to place, but the alarm on his face was much more pronounced. Oswald waved at the gremlin, then motioned to one of the small rooms attached to the main chamber before rushing into it, followed by the others. Once they were safely out of sight, Oswald knelt and set Mickey down. With one arm, he held him up in a sitting position while reaching for the brush with the other.

"Here, this should make ya feel better." He pointed the brush at Mickey's chest and unleashed a steady stream of Paint.

Finally Mickey groaned and opened his eyes, looking up. Everything was blurred and the only thing he could make out was Oswald's worried face. "W-What... what h-happened..." Suddenly alarm filled his eyes. "Th-... Th' Blot..."

Gus teleported into the room, breathing hard. "I can't keep it distracted much longer!" He saw Mickey and his eyes went wide. "Mickey!"

The mouse didn't seem to hear. He closed his eyes, his face falling. "No... I-I tried..." A harsh cough cut him off, and Gus zoomed over.

"This looks bad," Gus said grimly. "We'll need the Mad Doctor's help."

"Mickey!" Oswald shook him again and blasted him with more Paint, but with little effect. "Don't worry, you just stay here and I'll take care of it." He stopped the Paint and gently laid Mickey back, then looked at the gremlins. "Watch him for me!" He then rushed back into the lab, brush in hand.

"Wait!" Oswald glanced behind him to see Prescott rushing up.

"The Blot's able to sustain itself now, and it's feeding on his pain along with the generator's power. We have to bring it down before it gets too strong! If I shut down the generator, it should give you the advantage."

Oswald was startled for a moment, then shook it off. "Get to the Mad Doc first! Tell him we need help! Hurry!"

Prescott nodded and teleported off in search of the Mad Doctor. As Gus sat next to Mickey, Oswald began heading out again. "Oswald! What are you doing?" Gus called out.

"Whatever I can!" Oswald shouted back.

The Blot turned, its green eyes burning with malice, and let out a snarl that echoed through the chamber. Oswald clenched his teeth and tightened his hold on the brush, ordering himself not to give in to the terrible fear and freeze.

"C'mon!" he yelled, pointing the brush. "Just try me!"

The large, inky claws slashed out again, so fast they were a blur. Oswald jumped back and yelped as they scraped his chest, forcing him back into an alcove. He grunted as he rubbed the scratches, recovering from the blow. Luckily, they weren't deep, but boy, was that thing fast! How could he possibly get on the offensive without being taken out? Still, he had to find a way. This monster's return was what Mickey had been so afraid of all this time. He had to do this, for his brother.

He jumped out and shot some Thinner at the Blot. It roared and swiped at him, forcing Oswald to dodge and run again before he could see if he'd done any damage.

"Oswald!" The rabbit looked up in shock as Prescott appeared on a nearby balcony. "Hey! Over here!" the gremlin yelled. The Blot turned and charged, but Prescott quickly disappeared and popped up right next to Oswald. "The Doctor needs to gather equipment, but more help's on the way. I need time to shut down the generator, so don't be a fool and try to attack, just keep him busy!"

"That shouldn't be too hard," Oswald remarked sarcastically as he dodged another incoming attack. "Hey, Inkface! Try an' catch me!" Oswald shouted up to the Blot as he took off at full speed, running and hopping all around the room. Meanwhile, Prescott was working frantically to shut down the generator, pressing buttons and switches so fast, his hands were almost a blur.

Oswald continued to run and dodge whilst Prescott worked. Suits of armor went flying and pieces of rubble rained down as the Blot continued its string of ruthless attacks. "Are ya done YET?!" Oswald shouted to the gremlin as he narrowly dodged a few falling boulders.

"Just one more adjustment!" A few moments later, a loud clanking sound echoed through the chamber. The Blot suddenly stopped and began to writhe, snarling and groaning.

"It's down!" Prescott yelled.

Oswald grinned, but his relief was shattered by a bone-shaking howl of rage. The Blot began slashing its inky claws in a violent frenzy, shrieking all the while. It didn't seem to care what it hit.

"Cripes!" Oswald yelped, dodging. "I thought that was s'posed to HELP!"

Prescott suddenly appeared beside him. "It's lost a lot of power without the generator, and getting desperate." He grunted in annoyance. "Look, I'll just try and draw him so you can get a shot."

Oswald nodded, but before the gremlin could teleport again the Blot smashed a section of the wall, right above the doorway of the small room where Gus and Mickey were. The stones began to creak and groan from the stress. Seeing where the Blot had struck, Oswald's ears shot up and his eyes widened in alarm.

"Mickey! Gus!" he yelped as he sped toward the entrance. Once he got inside, the walls and ceiling were already starting to crumble; dust and small stones raining down. Mickey was struggling to get up, while Gus did his best to help him. Oswald ran over and snatched him up, knowing Gus could teleport himself to safety. "Hurry! It's gonna cave in!" They barely leaped out before the ceiling finally caved in, blocking the doorway.

"Easy, I've got ya," Oswald murmured, holding the mouse protectively against his chest as he watched the Blot's erratic movements carefully. He had to stop it as soon as possible, but now there was the added issue of getting Mickey to safety first. As he waited for an opportunity, he used the brush to spray more Paint into Mickey, hoping it would heal him enough to be able to walk.

Mickey felt some of the pain fade, but he knew he was still too weak. He'd slow them down, and things would only get worse.

"O-Os... you gotta..." He bit back a cough. "Y' gotta g-get outta here."

" _No,_ " Oswald said firmly. "Don't you even start with that.'"

Gus zoomed up with Prescott close behind. "If we keep him busy, can you get him out of here?"

Oswald nodded firmly. "Yeah. Thanks." As soon as the gremlins warped off, Oswald glanced at Mickey. Knowing there was no use arguing, the mouse nodded.

With a huff of exertion, he heaved Mickey up over his shoulder and took off at a brisk pace up the nearest staircase. He hadn't gotten very far when suddenly a boulder crashed into the stairs ahead of him. He skidded to a stop as part of the staircase collapsed in front of him. Oswald quickly scanned the area and soon spotted several stacks of rubble close enough for him to jump across.

"Alright, hold on tight!" he said right before he ran and leapt across the towers of rubble. Burning pain stabbed through Mickey's chest with each jolt and he clenched his teeth, whimpering as he forced himself not to cry out. "Hang in there," he heard Oswald urge. "Not much further now."

Finally, they reached solid ground again and Oswald hesitated. "You all right?"

Mickey took a deep, shaking breath and nodded. "Y-Yeah." A sudden movement nearby caught his attention, and he gasped in horror. The Blot was heading right for them! "Oswald! L-Look out!"

By the time Oswald saw it coming, there was no time to dodge. In the split second he had, he turned and shielded Mickey with his body, bracing himself. Thinner-laced claws raked his back, and though he clenched his teeth, he still let out a yelp of pain. The traces of Thinner made the wound burn and ooze small amounts of his black ink.

The Blot swatted at the gremlins, who were desperately trying to distract it, then headed for the two brothers again. With all the strength he had left, Mickey forced himself up and shoved Oswald away as hard as he could. Still in shock from the pain, Oswald easily toppled over from the push. Confused, he glanced over at Mickey, only to see an inky hand wrapping around him.

"Mickey!" The pain forgotten, Oswald scrambled to his feet. As the hand began to pull away, the rabbit dove at it, just barely managing to catch the edge of the inky fist as it lifted into the air. He clung on with all his might, but it only took the Blot a few flicks of the wrist to throw him off and send him careening into a wall, where he slumped to the floor with a groan. A gleeful snarl from the Blot made Oswald look up. With an almost mocking grin, it tightened its fist around the mouse.

Mickey screamed in pain as his ink began draining away. He tried to struggle, but a nauseating wave of dizziness struck him, then everything went black. Below, Oswald stared in horror as Mickey went limp in the Blot's fist.

 **"NO!"** Oswald leapt to his feet, pulled out the brush, and fired at the Blot, unleashing a massive wave of Thinner.

The monster shrieked as the Thinner struck, dull green stains spreading across its inky form. Prescott and Gus bravely zoomed around the Blot's head, shouting and drawing its attention long enough for Oswald to leap back across the ruined staircase. He had to find a way to get to the upper level, where he could get a clear shot at the mouth. He leapt and hovered with his ears several times, landing on any higher platform he could find until suddenly, he hit a dead end. He was stumped for a moment until he suddenly remembered the extent of the brush's capabilities. He fired Paint at the empty cliff in front of him, causing several platforms to materialize, then quickly leapt across them and continued making his way up the stairs. Seeing another dead end coming, he wasted no time and repeated the process as he ran, hopping across the new platforms.

The Blot tried to grab him, but Oswald dodged easily. His fury and determination seemed to charge him like a battery. Being careful not to hit the fist holding Mickey, he shot another burst of Thinner. The Blot howled in anger and drew back, clawing at the spot. Seeing his opportunity, Oswald quickly leapt from the highest ledge and dove directly at the Blot, using his ears to hover right in front of its inky face. He focused all his energy, all his rage into the brush's magic power, rapidly forming a massive ball of Thinner, then swung the brush as hard as he could, shooting it directly into the Blot's mouth. The monster let out a horrible shriek that Oswald was sure could be heard from Mean Street, ink gurgling in its throat. As its free hand raked at its melting face, Thinner began seeping through the growing cracks in its ink.

Oswald's eyes immediately snapped to its other fist. "Mickey!" He hovered up a little higher and dropped onto the fist as it passed. Grabbing Mickey's arm, he pulled, but the Blot wasn't willing to give up its victim so easily. Oswald pulled harder and harder, grunting in frustration. "Agh, _let_ ** _go!_** _"_ He yanked out the brush again and fired blasts of Thinner at the giant fingers. As the fingers sizzled, the Blot let out another ear-piercing shriek and whipped its hand back. Oswald's sensitive ears ached from the shriek, but he ignored it and clung as tightly as he could to the mouse.

"If ya want me t' let go, you'll hafta let go!" he snarled.

Suddenly a small blur shot past them and slammed against the Blot's wrist. Oswald's eyes widened.

"Prescott?!"

"Go!" the gremlin yelled.

Snapping out of his trance, Oswald realized the Blot's grip had loosened. Gritting his teeth, the rabbit yanked as hard as he could on Mickey until the mouse suddenly broke free, sending them both plummeting to the ground. Oswald managed to right himself in mid-air, grabbing ahold of Mickey as he spun his helicopter ears to slow their descent. Once they were close to the ground, Oswald collapsed, panting heavily, one arm still wrapped around Mickey.

From somewhere above, the Blot's wild, desperate shrieks broke through his exhausted haze. Oswald looked up and his eyes widened. The Blot was slowly melting, howling all the while. As it dissolved into nothingness, droplets of excess Thinner and Ink sprinkled down from it. Quick to react, Oswald scrambled over Mickey and shielded him, clenching his teeth as just a few of the tiny drops singed his back. Just a few seconds later, it was over, and Oswald let out a long sigh of relief.

"We did it." He sat up, a tired smile spreading across his face. "Mick, it's—" He stopped, his smile faltering. Mickey lay completely still.


	10. Chapter 9

The mouse's already-white face somehow seemed even paler, his once-vibrant colors dulling. Pushing back the fear welling in his chest, Oswald reached over and gently shook Mickey's shoulder.

"Mick? Hey, wake up."

Nothing.

Oswald shook him harder, his alarm growing. "MICKEY!"

Still no response.

In a panic, Oswald put one of his ears to Mickey's chest and listened with bated breath. He heard a faint thudding and breathed a sigh of relief. Once help got here, everything would be okay. Everything was gonna be okay.

He gently slipped a hand under Mickey's head, cushioning it as best he could. "Hang in there, Mick," he murmured.

"Oswald!" The rabbit looked up as Ortensia raced toward him. "We came as fast as we could! The Mad Doctor is on his way, and—" She broke off and her eyes went wide with horror. "Oh... oh, no..."

"He'll be okay, Ortensia, but he needs help right away," Oswald said, his voice trembling just slightly. His imaginary heart was beating a million miles a minute as he waited what felt like eons for the Mad Doctor to arrive.

Suddenly, Oswald's ears shot up at the sound of a faint moan and he looked down as Mickey opened his eyes a little. They were alarmingly dull, but the pleading in them was clear as he forced out a weak whisper. "Mih... Minnie..."

Oswald swallowed hard. "Mickey..."

Ortensia knelt beside him, putting a hand on the mouse's cheek. Oswald saw the tears in her eyes and forced back his own. He had to be strong—for her and for Mickey.

Then suddenly, Ortensia gasped and tugged at his arm. Oswald looked up to see the Mad Doctor hurrying into the room, stumbling under a massive load of equipment. A sense of relief washed over the rabbit.

"Doc!" he called with a frantic wave. "Over here!"

The Mad Doctor rushed over, plopping down his cargo and setting everything up with cartoonish speed. Oswald waited, his mind racing with possible solutions.

"Doc, I'm willin' to do an ink transfusion or somethin' to make up for the lost ink, if that'll help! Whaddya think?" the rabbit offered, speaking rather rapidly.

The Mad Doctor hurried over and bent down for a closer look, a rare frown of concern creasing his brow. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves... something like that is an extreme measure. Let me see what I can do first."

"Doc, in case ya couldn't tell, this _is_ an extreme situation, and extreme situations call for extreme measures! If there's anythin' I can do, let me do it!"

Despite Oswald's harsh tone, the Mad Doctor's reply was calm and firm, with a noticeable touch of sympathy. "If it becomes necessary, I'll do so right away. But first, I need to determine whether or not it's the best option."

Oswald let out a sigh. "Alright." He carefully handed Mickey over to the Mad Doctor and watched anxiously as the Doc got to work.

Ortensia walked up beside him and ran her hand across his back, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. "Don't worry, Honey Bunny... he knows what to do."

"I know..." Oswald mumbled, wringing his hands as his foot thumped impatiently. He noticed something out of the corner of his eye and glanced to his left. Prescott hovered nearby, Gus patting his shoulder. The gremlin's face was haggard with guilt and fear as he watched the Mad Doctor. The silence and tension in the air was nearly unbearable as all eyes remained on the Mad Doctor.

After what felt like ages, the Doctor straightened up. Slowly, he removed his goggles and let out a heavy sigh.

"So... what's the verdict, Doc?" Oswald asked nervously, stepping forward.

The Mad Doctor turned to face him, and the look on his face was one nobody had ever seen before. His head tilted down utter defeat. "I'm afraid... we cannot help him."

As soon as the words reached his ears, Oswald felt his body go cold. "Wh-What?" He shook his head. "No, we can't give up! There's gotta be something we can do—anythin'! Just... give him some of my ink, as much as it takes!"

The Mad Doctor sighed again, looking at the floor. "You must understand... even if I did, it wouldn't do any good. He's lost too much."

Oswald's throat tightened. "But, that's... that can't be it! There's gotta be a way! C'mon, Doc, please! Ya gotta at least try!" he begged, pulling the Mad Doctor down to his level by his collar and shaking him in desperation. The Doctor waited until he stopped, then placed a hand on the rabbit's shoulder and spoke with more sincerity than most thought him capable of.

"I'm sorry, my friend."

Oswald's body trembled and became rigid, the Doctor's coat slowly slipping through his fingers as his expression twisted with utter grief and despair. A stunned silence filled the room, each toon slowly grasping the reality of what was happening. All of a sudden, Prescott whirled around and charged at the Petes in a blind rage.

"BLOODY IDIOTS! I _told_ you it was too much! I _told_ you this would happen!"

Gus barely snapped out of his own shock in time to grab his fellow gremlin and hold him back. "Prescott! Steady, man! Get ahold of yourself!" His voice trembled a little as he continued. "It won't do any good. They're not worth it."

Prescott's wild struggles slowed, then stopped. His angry snarls faded into whimpers as he clutched his head in his hands. "I... I tried..."

Gus eased his grip a little, sniffling back tears. "I know, lad," he murmured. "I know."

As if in a trance, Oswald walked over to Mickey and sank to his knees, staring at his brother's unresponsive face. He bit back tears as he lifted the mouse into his lap.

"You listen to me, Mick; you're gonna be just fine, and you're gonna pull through. Got it? No matter what they say, I know ya can beat this. 'Cause you're so strong and ya always pull through—no matter what." His voice began to choke. "Ya never go down without a fight."

Then, to his horror, he noticed the mouse's breathing had stopped and the color was beginning to drain from the mouse's body, his black fur and brightly-colored outfit slowly fading to a dull gray.

"Don't you dare do this to me! I'm just gettin' to know ya after all these years, and I won't let you just end it here!" Oswald let out an agonized growl and hugged Mickey's limp body close, shutting his eyes as his body began shaking with muffled sobs.

Ortensia, struggling to suppress her own tears, took a step forward, but then stopped. The Mad Doctor and the other toons stood in mournful silence; even the Petes were subdued. Ortensia watched Oswald with tear-filled eyes, wishing she could comfort him, but knowing there was nothing she could do.

Unbeknownst to Oswald, the brush poking out of his pocket was beginning to emit a pale blue light. Paint slowly gathered on its tip until a large drop had formed. The shimmering drop of Paint then detached itself from the brush and slowly floated upward.

Hearing soft gasps from those around him, Oswald lifted his head and stared at the bright orb in confusion. Its glow was warm and ethereal, with a strange sense about it that he couldn't quite put into words. It came closer, moving down toward Mickey's limp body until it touched his chest, absorbing into it. The spot where it had entered flashed suddenly, then a soft glow began to spread throughout the mouse's body. The light began to pulse, and Oswald could swear he saw waves of color flowing back into Mickey's body with each one.

As the light slowly faded, Oswald's mind was spinning so fast, he could hardly bear it. However, before he could even begin to process what he had just witnessed, he suddenly felt a slight movement in his arms. There was a soft moan and Oswald looked down to see Mickey's eyes slowly opening.

"Mickey?" Oswald breathed in astonishment.

"O-... Oswald...?" The mouse's voice sounded weak, but no longer in pain.

"MICKEY!" Oswald suddenly squeezed him tight, sobbing with relief. He barely even noticed the gasps and cries of relief from those around him. "I'm so glad you're okay," he choked out. He had no idea how this was possible, but he didn't care. Mickey was okay and that was all that mattered.

As the rabbit held him, Mickey felt his throat tighten. He'd never seen Oswald like this before. It was a bit unsettling, but also comforting to know he cared, like family should. _Family._

The mouse's eyes widened. Somehow, he kept forgetting that Oswald was his brother. After a lifetime of absence, it was hard to get used to that fact. Sure, he knew the fact itself was true, but _feeling_ it was true was a whole other picture. But now, after all they'd been through together, Mickey suddenly felt less alone in Wasteland. As much as he missed home, it was comforting to finally feel he had family in this world too. Family that cared just as much for him as he did for them.

At those thoughts, Mickey gave a small smile and weakly returned the hug. "Y'know, you're just like him."

"What?" Oswald pulled out of the hug and looked at the mouse in confusion.

Mickey nodded. "I've seen it since I first came here. Not just 'cause ya were... downright stubborn, but how ya did things. How folks respected ya, even if they didn't agree with ya." His eyes grew glossy. "It's like there's a piece of him inside ya."

The rabbit's eyes widened, a small blush sweeping across his face. "I don't know about that, but thanks."

Suddenly, Ortensia raced over and threw her arms around them both, half laughing and half crying. "Oh, thank heavens! We were so afraid!"

Oswald smiled and gave Ortensia a passionate kiss on the lips. She returned it and gave him another hug. A muffled grunt of pain escaped Oswald as he suddenly became aware of the throbbing pain in the wounds on his front and back.

Ortensia gasped and drew back, her joy quickly replaced with worry. "Oh! Sweetie, are you all right?"

Oswald quickly pushed his discomfort back and gave her a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Ortensia continued examining him anxiously. "We should get some Paint..."

"I'll be fine," Oswald insisted.

The Mad Doctor stepped forward, his mouth still hanging open, and bent down curiously, checking Mickey's pulse and other vital signs. The semi-conscious mouse stirred again, mumbling. "Remarkable!" the Doctor murmured.

Oswald couldn't help smiling. "Yeah, well..." He shrugged. "He's a tough fighter. Runs in the family." He paused, his smile faltering as he thought back. "Say, Doc... any idea what that light was?"

The Mad Doctor blinked and furrowed his brow, rubbing his chin. "I'm not quite sure..." He glanced down at the brush poking out of Oswald's pocket. "It seemed to come from the brush, though I never suspected its capabilities extended so far."

"The brush...?" Oswald shifted Mickey to one arm as he pulled the brush out of his pocket and examined it. "But... how? I wasn't even usin' it."

"I should also perform a full examination at some point," the Mad Doctor said, gesturing toward Mickey. "Just to be certain."

Oswald nodded. "Yeah, better let him rest a while first."

"And you too," Ortensia said, raising a brow. Oswald gave her a tired smile and squeezed her hand.

"I will in a little while, Hon. Just gonna make sure he's taken care of first."

The Mad Doctor placed a hand on Oswald's shoulder. "I can take you two back to Ostown."

Oswald gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Doc." Carefully, he lifted Mickey up over his shoulder, Ortensia helping him stand, then hopped up onto the Doc's flying contraption. Its engines whirred to life as the Doc started it up and took off.

The locals were a little stirred up when the Mad Doctor landed in Ostown, but the mood quickly turned to happy surprise and concern when they saw the two passengers. Oswald thanked the Doctor as he hopped down onto the pavement, carrying Mickey to his and Ortensia's house. Residents hurried up with concerned questions about his scars and Mickey's condition, but Oswald assured them they'd both be fine with a bit of rest.

Oswald carried Mickey upstairs to the bedroom, then used an ear to pull back the covers as he carefully laid him in bed, tucking him in. He smiled at how peaceful the mouse looked. "Glad you're okay," he murmured. Then, stretching tiredly, he plopped down into a chair beside the bed, letting out a long, exhausted sigh. He was feeling pretty worn out from the fight himself, but he had been so focused on Mickey that he hadn't really realized it until now.

After a while, a soft knock came from the doorway. Oswald looked up and smiled when Ortensia padded into the room and over to him, carrying a small container of Paint. Setting it on the floor, she smiled and gently rubbed behind his ears. Oswald let out a pleasured sigh as his foot began thumping.

"How're you feeling?" Ortensia purred.

"Great, now that you're here," Oswald mumbled in a daze, wearing a silly grin.

Ortensia giggled and kissed his nose, then picked up the Paint. "I brought this... It should help."

"Oh, thanks, hon, they aren't really that ba—AGH... ahhh..." He flinched at the initial stinging, then moaned in relief as she brushed the Paint onto his wounds. They healed up as his skin absorbed the Paint, but faint scars still remained. They would still have to heal on their own in time.

Ortensia finished applying the Paint, then slid into the chair beside Oswald, nuzzling him. "I'm so proud of you, Hunny Bunny."

Oswald's cheeks turned pink. "You are?"

"Of course, silly," she replied, giggling again. "Who wouldn't be?"

Oswald thought for a moment, then smirked. "Well, when ya put it that way..."

Ortensia smirked back and poked his nose playfully. "You're impossible, you know that?"

Oswald snickered. "No idea what you're talkin' about."

They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying being near each other. Then, after a while, Ortensia squeezed his hand.

"I'd better go make sure the kids are okay. They've been pretty worried. Now, you get some rest, Honey Bunny."

Oswald nodded. They shared a quick kiss on the lips, then Ortensia hopped up, gave a little wave, and left. Oswald laid back in the chair, letting out a long sigh as he relaxed. Before he knew it, he was out like a light.

* * *

Mickey stirred as he came to, finding himself lying on a soft, warm surface. He sighed quietly and opened his eyes, blinking to clear his hazy vision. Slight confusion came at his surroundings, then he realized he was back in the guest room at Oswald and Ortensia's house. When faint snoring came from nearby, he glanced to his right. Oswald was fast asleep in a chair, his foot twitching every so often.

Mickey smiled, a warm feeling of gratitude filling him. Then Oswald shifted positions, revealing the claw marks on his front and back, and Mickey's smile faded, an intense sense of guilt swelling up inside of him.

 _This is all my fault... Oswald's hurt because of me..._

He let out a heavy sigh as he sat up, debating whether or not to wake the rabbit. However, the mouse's decision was made for him as Oswald suddenly began to stir. The rabbit groaned softly, stretching and rubbing his eyes. Glancing over at the bed, he was glad to see Mickey sitting up.

"Hey, how ya feelin'?" Oswald asked, getting up and walking over to him.

Mickey rubbed his still-hazy head and smiled. "Better now."

"I'm glad," Oswald said, smiling back. "Heh, ya really had me goin' for a while there." A lump formed in his throat.

Mickey felt a slight chill at those words. Between pushing Oswald out of the Blot's path and then waking up in his arms, he remembered almost nothing. "Os, I... I'm sorry if I scared ya. I just..." He trailed off when Oswald let out a long, tired sigh, rubbing his forehead before looking up again.

"Why did you do that?"

Mickey stared at him, thoroughly confused by now. "Oswald, the Blot came back 'cause of me! I couldn't let it hurt ya more!"

Oswald shook his head, irritation showing on his face. "No, the Blot came back because of the Petes! It had nothin' t' do with you!"

Mickey clutched the covers as his voice rose. "I'm the reason it even existed in the first place! Was I supposed t' just sit there and let it all happen again?"

"That was an accident! Ya said so yourself!"

Mickey clenched his fists and opened his mouth to shout back, but a sudden dizzy spell stopped him. "Agh..." He clutched his head.

Oswald grasped the mouse's shoulders. "Mickey, ya gotta stop this," he said firmly. "Ya can't keep beatin' yourself up over this."

Mickey only looked away, torn between a longing to finally let it all go and feeling that he didn't deserve that closure. Slowly, he looked back toward Oswald, but then his eyes shifted to the area past him and suddenly, he froze, eyes going wide.

"Mickey?" Oswald asked, a bit concerned.

Mickey opened his mouth, but couldn't even form words. Finally, he raised a trembling finger and pointed past Oswald.

"Huh?" Oswald turned to see a strange, glowing orb floating beside them. It pulsed, many different colors running through it as it began growing rapidly in size, reshaping until it formed a tall, glowing figure. As the light began to dim, the facial features became visible, eliciting a gasp from both Oswald and Mickey. Oswald felt his chest go cold as he stared. It couldn't be possible... it just couldn't. He faintly heard Mickey croak out a single word.

"D-... Dad...?"

The man's smile widened, and he spoke in a gentle voice. "It's all right... no need to be scared."

Within seconds, Mickey had leapt out of bed and hurled himself into his creator's arms. He had no idea what was happening or how it was even possible, but he was too overjoyed to care. "Dad!" Tears streamed down his face as he buried it in the man's shoulder, barely managing to choke out words. "I-I missed you so much..."

Oswald remained frozen in shock, his body trembling. As the man stroked Mickey's head, he looked over at the rabbit and Oswald felt himself shrink under his father's gaze. So many mixed emotions swirled about in his mind that he didn't know what to feel. He wanted to run _to_ him, he wanted to run _away_ from him, he wanted to hug him, and to yell at him—all at the same time.

"Oswald, I..." The man hesitated, struggling to put everything into words. Finally, he said the only thing he could. "I'm sorry."

Oswald huffed, crossing his arms and turning away. As if a simple 'Sorry' was going to fix everything, erase all those years of suffering and abandonment. Did he even _comprehend_ the extent of the hurt he'd inflicted on the rabbit?

Walt let out a sigh. Oswald's reaction didn't surprise him; he knew the rabbit had every right to hate him. Still, the least he could do was try to explain.

"I never meant for things to happen the way they did, but I made the mistake of trusting the wrong people." Walt's eyes grew distant and hardened. "I thought they were in the business for the same reasons I was: for more than just the money." He shook his head, and the bitterness in his voice was clear. "I was wrong. They double crossed me, and there was nothing I could do about it."

Oswald snuck a glance at him, then looked away as his throat tightened. "You never came back," he muttered in a tone mixed with hurt and bitterness.

Walt looked at the ground. "I know," he murmured. "I always hoped that someday I might be able to get you back, but I was afraid to try at the wrong time and... I waited too long. I let you down, and I can never say how sorry I am."

Oswald's face grew warm, his eyes filling with tears. "H-How could you...?" he choked out, almost in a whisper. "You have no idea what I went through – what they did t' me."

A long silence filled the room, then Walt's strained voice broke it. "I know... and if you can't forgive me for it, I wouldn't blame you."

Oswald's tear-filled eyes widened, then scrunched shut as he shook his head. "You expect me to believe that you care, when all those years, you didn't even try _once!_ Not even a letter! You just forgot me like everyone else!" His whole body was trembling with emotion at this point. "I just want to know— _why?_ Why am I so forgettable? Even to you...?" A few muffled sobs escaped him, then a hand on his shoulder made him look up at Walt, who was now crouched down to his eye level.

"You're right, Oswald. I... should've done more." A tear rolled down the man's cheek. "But I didn't forget you. I could never do that, Oswald. Never. I thought about you all the time and kept up with any news I could find about you. I tried to send you letters too, but they must've intercepted them."

Oswald shook his head. "Then, why'd ya hafta go and—" He snuck a side glance over at Mickey. "...replace me? Ya didn't even tell him about me!"

Walt gave another sigh. "I just wanted to protect him." He glanced over at the mouse. "I'm sorry, Mickey. I was worried if you knew, you'd try to get him back, and it just wasn't possible at the time. You would've gotten into all kinds of trouble with them and I didn't want to lose you too."

Mickey looked at him with a strained expression. "I... understand, but I just wish ya woulda told me. He's my brother and he needed me all this time, and I never knew..."

"I'm sorry, Mickey. But I am glad that you two finally met." Walt turned back to Oswald. "Oswald, when I lost you, I was out of a job unless I created another Toon to fill your role. The truth is, Mickey turned out a lot like you because I just couldn't get you out of my head." Walt gave a small smile. "He was never meant to replace you, my lucky little star."

Tears welled up in Oswald's eyes, a small smile pushing its way onto his face. He'd always liked when Walt called him that.

Walt held out his arms, gently easing Oswald into a hug. The rabbit hesitated for a couple moments, then suddenly threw himself against Walt, squeezing him tight as sobs rattled his body. He felt his father's arms close around him in a tight embrace.

"I missed you _so_ much," said Walt.

"I missed you too," Oswald gasped out between sniffles.

Mickey smiled as he watched, knowing how much this meant to Oswald. Then, all of a sudden, a realization hit him. "It... it was you, wasn't it?" Mickey said, wide-eyed. "You... you saved me?"

Oswald's eyes snapped open. "What?" he uttered, looking from Mickey to Walt.

A slightly mischievous smile crossed the man's lips—one not too unlike that of Mickey or Oswald. "Oh? And what makes you say that?"

Mickey blinked, his eyes growing moist. "Just b'fore I woke up, when everythin' started comin' back, it felt... familiar. It was like... when you n' Ub first drew me."

Walt nodded, petting Mickey's head. "With a bit of magic wielded by their creator, it's possible for Toons to be saved from becoming inert. It's what Yen Sid and I used to make this world and save forgotten Toons from oblivion."

The rabbit's eyes widened at this news. "You... and Yen Sid?"

The man nodded again.

Oswald's eyes glistened. "Thanks..." He glanced at Mickey and swallowed hard. "And for... saving him. I don't know what I'd a' done if... if..."

The look in his brother's eyes made Mickey feel both touched and guilty. "Os... I-I'm really sorry..."

"It's not your fault," Oswald reassured him.

Mickey glanced down at the ground, the old debate raging inside him. "No, I mean the Thinner Disaster, the Blot... I caused it all... I—" He felt a large hand on his shoulder and looked up with tear-filled eyes.

"It's alright, Mickey," his father told him.

Oswald gave him a smile and nodded in reassurance.

Slowly, tears filled Mickey's eyes and spilled down his face. Oswald wrapped his arms around the mouse in a tight, comforting hug. Mickey returned the hug, clinging more tightly to Oswald as his legs went weak, sniffling. Walt joined in as well, wrapping his arms around them both. Mickey sighed in contentment, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

After a few moments had passed, Mickey suddenly pulled out of the hug, his eyes wide. "Os, your heart!"

Oswald looked confused. "Huh?"

"It's back! I heard it! Right there in your chest!"

"Y-You... what?" Oswald put a hand over the left side of his chest and held his breath. _Thump. Thump._ He let out a gasp. "But... i-it can't be... H-How...?" he stuttered in astonishment. A larger hand joined his, gently pressing against his chest, and he looked up to see Walt's twinkling eyes.

"It looks like it is," Walt said, smiling.

"But... h-how can I?" Oswald stared wide-eyed in disbelief, snapping back to reality when Mickey grabbed his shoulders, grinning like crazy.

"I _knew_ it! I _knew_ you'd get it back!"

"You knew I would...?" Oswald asked, still numb and expressionless from shock.

"Yes! I just knew it!"

Oswald put his hand to his chest again, feeling the steady thumping as it pulsed with everything he had ever wanted: warmth and love. "I can't believe it..." Oswald grinned, overcome with emotion as tears of joy rolled down his cheeks.

Mickey hugged his brother tight. "I'm so happy for ya, Os!"

Walt watched them with a proud smile. "I'm so proud of you both." He then reached over to give them one last hug as his form began to fade. "I have to go now, but don't worry; if you ever truly need me again, I'll be here, in one form or another."

Instantly, tears ran down both Mickey's and Oswald's cheeks as they hugged their creator, their father, back as tight as they could, wanting to hold on to him as long as they could before the inevitable came. They each felt a loving kiss on their forehead as the last trace of their father faded away and dissolved into sparkling orbs of light. The bits of light continued to cling to them, still feeling like a warm hug as the lights slowly sunk into their ink and disappeared.

They stood there in silence for a few moments, then Oswald turned to Mickey, noticing the mouse's blank stare.

"Mickey?" He placed a hand on Mickey's shoulder and the mouse instantly sank to his knees, hugging himself as he began shaking. He couldn't even talk; something else was surging up. The raw, gaping hole he had felt inside ever since that night...

"I... I'm... sorry..." He barely managed to choke out the words before his voice gave out, struggling to contain his sobs.

The heartbroken sounds tugged at Oswald's heartstrings. He knelt down to the mouse's level and wrapped his arms around him. "It's okay. Just let it all out."

At those words, Mickey felt even more of the pain and guilt he'd been repressing for so long surge to the surface. He let it all out with deep, choking sobs as tears streamed down his face.

"That's it," Oswald said softly, rubbing Mickey's back.

As the raging emotions drained away, exhaustion flooded into its place. Mickey felt himself sagging, but his head was too numb to even think. Oswald, knowing all too well what his brother was going through, remained respectfully silent until he felt Mickey finally begin to relax.

"You all right?" Oswald asked softly.

A worn-out mumble answered him.

"Tired?" Oswald asked with a small smile, pulling Mickey away from him a bit so he could get a look at the mouse's face. Mickey managed a little smile in return and Oswald chuckled. "But ya just woke up, ya cheesehead!"

Mickey was too exhausted to shoot back with anything but an irritated grunt.

Oswald chuckled again before hoisting him up. "Alright, you're off th' hook for now."

He placed Mickey back in his bed and pulled the covers back over him. Mickey smiled and sighed as he quickly drifted back to sleep.

"Sweet dreams, Sleepyhead."


	11. Epilogue

Mickey sat on the table in the Mad Doctor's lab, drumming his heels against the side. The Doctor stood nearby, a clipboard in his hands.

"And you're experiencing no pain?"

Mickey shook his head. "Nope."

The Doctor checked off a box and nodded. "Then I would consider this a complete recovery. Truly remarkable!"

Oswald, who was lounging in the doorway, smirked. "Yeah, well, he did have some help."

Mickey grinned over at him. "Thanks for th' reminder."

The Mad Doctor set down his clipboard, smiling. "Now then, I would recommend taking it easy for a few days, just to be safe, but other than that, you appear right as rain."

Mickey smiled and hopped down off the table. "Got it. Thanks, Doc."

Oswald smiled too as he walked up and gave Mickey a playful punch on the shoulder. After they left the Mad Doctor's lab, Gus warped in beside them.

"Ah, there you two are! I have some good news."

As the two toons watched, Gus pulled out a blueprint and spread it on the ground.

"What's this?" Oswald asked, examining the drawings with interest.

Gus smiled. "Prescott has been drawing up some plans. He thinks that with the Mad Doctor's help, it might be possible to construct a portal leading back to the Cartoon World."

Mickey's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked in a hushed, hopeful tone.

Oswald placed a hand on the mouse's shoulder. "Do you think you'll be able to find the right parts?"

The gremlin nodded, still smiling. "With the generators being dissembled, there should be enough."

Oswald grinned, giving Mickey a gentle nudge. "Ya see? I told ya we'd find a way to get ya home."

A wide smile grew across Mickey's face, and he looked up. "I… I don't know how t' thank ya."

"You can thank us by not dyin' again." Oswald gave him a friendly bop on the head.

Mickey chuckled, looking sheepish as he rubbed the spot. "Got it."

Gus let out a chuckle of his own as he rolled up the blueprints. "If we start right away, it shouldn't take more than a few weeks."

"You don't mind spendin' a few more weeks with us, do ya?" said Oswald.

Mickey hesitated for a few moments, then grinned. "Nah."

* * *

A few short weeks later, the portal was up and running and Oswald, Ortensia, the Bunny Kids, Gus, the Mad Doctor, and Prescott all gathered in the Mad Doctor's lab to say their farewells to Mickey.

"Be sure to come visit!" said Ortensia.

The Bunny Kids, who had been quite droopy up to this point, began hopping up and down, squeaking agreements.

Mickey chuckled as he reached down to pat the nearest ones on the head. "Anytime."

Prescott fluttered up, looking uneasy as he rubbed his arm. "I know I've said this before," he said quietly. "But I'm sorry, for everything."

Mickey smiled and held out a hand. "It's okay... and I owe you thanks for helpin' me get back home."

The gremlin hesitated a moment, then smiled as he shook the offered hand.

The Mad Doctor stepped forward next, bending down to shake Mickey's hand as well. "Until next time, my friend."

Mickey smiled and nodded.

Oswald approached him next, giving the mouse a smile. "Well, looks like you're finally goin' home. Bet you're real excited, huh?" Mickey nodded, a huge grin stretching over his face. Then a thoughtful expression came over it, making Oswald raise a brow. "What?"

"Well..." Mickey said slowly. "I was just thinkin'... since you've got a heart now... do you wanna come too?"

Oswald blinked. He couldn't deny he'd considered the possibility but he'd held back from mentioning it until now. "I want to but I can't. Wasteland needs me."

The other toons exchanged glances with each other, then smiled and nodded in silent agreement.

Gus fluttered up. "We can take care of things here, Oswald. I'll supervise the repairs and make sure everything keeps running smoothly."

The Mad Doctor furiously typed some things into his machine, then slammed down the ENTER key. "A-ha! I've established a link between the portal machine and your remote, which should let you contact us from the Cartoon World. Whenever you wish to return, I should be able to reopen the portal."

Oswald then felt Ortensia take his hand and give him a peck on the cheek. "We'll go together. The kids too."

Not long after Oswald had discovered his heart had returned, Ortensia had hurried up to him with the news that she and the Bunny Children had one too. Oswald had to fight to keep himself from tearing up, overwhelmed with gratitude. "Thanks, I'll definitely visit soon. Just don't screw anythin' up while I'm gone!" He chuckled. Giddy excitement filled him as he realized he was about to step outside of Wasteland for the first time in many, many years. He'd wanted this for so long, and now it was finally happening.

A hand on his shoulder made him look at Mickey. The mouse smiled and nodded. Nearly bursting with joy, Oswald pulled Ortensia into a passionate kiss, then scooped up Mickey and squeezed him tight while spinning him around. Mickey yelped in surprise, then laughed as he returned Oswald's hug. After a few moments, they separated and turned to face the portal. Mickey stepped forward first, first poking an arm through it, then slowly stepping inside.

Oswald took Ortensia's hand, making sure she was with him as he approached the portal. Together, they stepped through and suddenly, the ground seemed to vanish below their feet, as if they were falling. Bright light blinded their vision and a whooshing sound like a high-speed wind filled their ears. They could faintly make out some of the bunny kids' voices crying out behind them, but the wind was so loud, it was nearly impossible to hear what they were saying, or whether they were even saying anything at all. Then, just as quickly as the sensation had begun, they suddenly landed on solid ground.

Getting up from the soft grass, they looked around to find themselves in what seemed to be some sort of a residential neighborhood. Just down the street, sat a familiar yellow house, as well as an equally-familiar pink one. Mickey stood nearby, a huge smile on his face.

"Welcome to the Cartoon World," he said.

Oswald smiled back, but any words he was going to say were cut off by an incredulous voice.

"Mickey?"

The mouse whirled around, his heart pounding. "Minnie...?"

The two could only stare at each other at first, unable to form words. Then tears began to fill both their eyes, and Minnie broke into a run.

"Mickey!"

Laughing with joy, Mickey caught her in his arms and twirled her around before pulling her into a tight hug.

"Minnie, I..."

Minnie cut him off by pressing her lips to his in a passionate kiss. After a few minutes, she drew back and began looking him over anxiously.

"Where were you? What happened? Are you all right? Where WERE you?"

Mickey glanced over at Oswald and Ortensia, who had been watching the reunion with big smiles, and laughed.

"Min, it's a really long story."

Oswald nodded, giving a little chuckle. "Mick sure missed ya," he said, making Mickey blush.

Clearing his throat, Mickey took Minnie's hand and gestured toward Oswald and Ortensia.

"Minnie, there's some people that I want ya to meet."

Oswald held out a hand. "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Nice to meet ya."

Ortensia held out her hand as well. "And I'm Ortensia. It's a pleasure!"

"Oh, Mickey's told me so much about you both!" Minnie said, shaking both their hands in turn.

"Oh, has he?" Oswald teased, eyeing Mickey. "What kinds of things?"

"Oh, he told me all about what you went through the first time. It's so wonderful to finally meet you!"

At that moment, several of the Bunny Kids hopped forward.

"Are you Auntie Minnie?" one squeaked. Minnie blinked at the sight of all the bunnies but smiled again.

"Yes, I am. It's wonderful to finally meet you all."

"Oh! Oswald, we'll need a place to stay!" Ortensia said, a worried look on her face. "And it'll have to have enough room for the kids and their beds and toys and—"

Oswald put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her frantic rambling. "Don't worry, honeybunch, we'll figure it out."

Mickey stepped forward. "I can get ya guys a room at one of the resorts here until you figure things out. And don't worry about the cost, it's on the house!"

"Oh, thank you so much, Mickey," said Ortensia, "but are you sure it's okay?"

"Of course!" Mickey responded, glancing over at Oswald with a smile. "It's the least I can do to repay ya for savin' my life."

Oswald smiled. "Thanks a bunch, Mickey."

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a blur of activity. Oswald and Ortensia had their hands full getting the Bunny Children calmed down enough to get settled, and everyone in Toontown was eager to meet the new arrivals. As a result, Oswald found himself shaking more hands then he had in his life.

Later, Oswald and Mickey were walking along Main Street. Oswald was taking in the familiar sights, marveling at the similarities between the two worlds.

"You were right, ya know," he said quietly. Mickey glanced over at him, not quite catching his words.

"Huh?"

Oswald gestured at the street in front of them.

"This place. It's a lot like, well, home."

Mickey looked ahead and nodded, smiling.

"Yeah. It's great to see it again."

Oswald grinned.

"I know what ya mean."

After a moment, Oswald realized that Mickey had stopped. He hesitated, his ears pricking.

"Mick?"

Mickey looked over at him, then gave him an apologetic shrug.

"Sorry, just… old memories coming up."

Oswald followed Mickey's gaze and noticed something that he had never seen in Wasteland. In the window above the Fire Station, a lamp glowed.

"That's…" he said softly. "That's the apartment."

Mickey nodded, a slight smile on his face.

"They've kept it on every day since."

Oswald felt a slight smile tug at his own face.

"So he's still watchin'."

Mickey nodded, his eyes still fixed on the lamp.

"Yeah. Exactly."

They stood there together, gazing up at the lamp. As the sky grew darker, it's glow seemed to grow even brighter. Oswald felt the smile on his face grow.

 _It's good to be back._


End file.
